Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

A single flash of light was all it took.

There was no pain, no feeling, just the simple blinding of pure white in his vision and suddenly he was standing in a row of constantly moving clouds. It was disorienting, especially when he was pressured to move forward. The shouting of the strange-looking horned men directing the flow was now pointed at him, the only being in line with a human body that he could see at the moment.

“You there! Keep moving!”

As the line kept creeping forward, he could see a tall structure in the distance. It appeared to be a temple of sorts, its white face and red roof standing out strikingly in front of the pale alien sky. A temple straight out of the tales his father told him when he was still young. He could feel his blood run cold, now understanding where he was. With that, a hot flash of shame also consumed him, knowing that he failed so terribly in his mission.

‘Are the others here too? Did we lose?’

Once reaching the threshold, he only hesitated for a brief moment before stepping into the room. A large, traditional-looking office was what lied inside, with only tasteful décor, pinewood flooring and a few well-cared for plants making up the majority of the environment. It’s most stand out feature being an impossibly huge mahogany desk, absolutely covered in various stacks of files and paperwork.

A massive, reddish-purple hand was quickly shifting the papers, signing some while stamping others in an absolute frenzy. The human-like creature owning the hand was barking out orders to the much smaller humanoids, his body being roughly 5 times the size of his own, even when sitting in a plush office chair. A relatively small name placard was the only thing that let him know who this monster of a man was.

When he reached the front, he relaxed a bit and waited for the other to retrieve his own file that was no doubt shoved into the stack. He was no longer nervous, now knowing who the being was even though they hadn’t met yet. The dark eyes of the bestial man paused from his searching and reading to look down at him before lighting up in delight. A fanged grin etched its way across his heavy jaw and he spoke with a deep, throaty timber.

“You must be Goku’s kid!”

The over-sized man shifted the entire stack out of the way so that he could get a good look at the older teen in front of the desk.

“Son Gohan, it’s a pleasure to meet one of the defenders of Earth.”

“Likewise, King Yemma.” Gohan politely bowed with a small blush and smile. It was still awkward for him to accept praises like this. He was just doing what he thought was right, after all.

“Hmm, unfortunately, if you couldn’t tell, you perished on Earth along with the rest of the population still left on it. It looks like only your father, Earth’s Kami Dende and a Mr. Hercule Satan made it out alive. Thankfully, the Supreme Kai had them teleported onto his home planet just in the nick of time.”

“And Buu?”

“Both of them are still alive.” Yemma replied, his face grim at the prospect.

“Wait, both?!” Gohan felt like he wouldn’t be happy with whatever the hell that meant.

“Majin Buu was split into two people, one good and one evil. The good one is with your father, while the evil one is currently going on a galaxy wide rampage searching for them. He’s destroyed a few planets so far. It’s been making my job terrible today!” King Yemma grumbled the last part before gesturing to the huge stack of files, likely for the millions of souls passing through that day.

Gohan sighed; the news was dire but not hopeless. If his father could get to New Namek, he could use those Dragon Balls to possibly resurrect the Earth and its population. After defeating Majin Buu, that is. But for the time being…

“Ah, but what can you do. I’m sure Goku can fix this mess soon enough, he always manages to. As for you, we need to get you placed already.” Yemma finally found the file he was looking for, thumbing through the records with an inquisitive stare.

“I’m not being sent back to help dad?”

“Nope, that was a one-time deal for Vegeta. We can only do so much that tampers with life and death. Any more dead walking might result in the collapse of the entire afterlife.”

“Oh. I see.” Gohan hummed in acknowledgment.

Gohan watched the King look through his record of life, and patiently waited for his assignment to Heaven. It was going to be a temporary stay anyways, he had nothing but faith that his father and Vegeta could defeat Buu. It sucked that he couldn’t help with the situation, but at least he could see his mother and maybe continue exploring what he had started with Videl for the time being.

“Huh. That’s…unexpected…”

Gohan peered up at the celestial bureaucrat, curious to what Yemma was talking about. It was strange to see him double and triple checking the entire file so frantically.

King Yemma quickly made a call on his desk phone, while a couple of much larger than average ogres approached Gohan. They were brandishing clubs and their faces were set in a thuggish stare. He hadn’t seen any other soul get such a reaction from the other workers. ‘What gives?’

“What do you mean the assignment is correct!?” King Yemma roared into the phone, utter disbelief in his tone. His massive fist slammed into the desk, startling everyone around him as he continued yelling at whoever was on the other end.

‘What is going on?’ Gohan’s eyebrows furrowed in confusion at all the commotion going on around him. A sudden pang of worry thrummed through his being as he glanced at the two giants staring him down. Whatever was happening, wasn’t good news for him.

“Damn it…” King Yemma sighed quietly, placing the phone back on its receiver. He looked to Gohan, a strange and sad look on his face, before scrubbing over it with his hand in exhaustion.

“Uh, King Yemma?” Gohan ventured; he couldn’t help but feel a bit on edge with the small group of ogres glaring at him. Waiting for something, likely a word from King Yemma.

“I’m not sure how this happened, but you’ll need to go with them for now.” Yemma pointed at the blue and roughest-looking ogre before him. “Goz, please escort him to the gate.”

“Yes sir!” The blue ogre bowed lightly, a small smirk on his whiskered face.

“Gohan, please go with them quietly. I’m going to look into this, I know for a fact that you weren’t supposed to go there.” King Yemma said with conviction, quickly making a few memos for his assistants to deliver.

Gohan said nothing as the conversation ended, eyes wide in horror at the implications of where his afterlife assignment actually was. He looked at the ogre standing directly in front of him, who gestured with his club to follow, which he did so obediently. His mind was still reeling from the sudden shock, racing with a constant string of hysterical thoughts as he trailed unconsciously behind the obvious security personnel down a spiraling hallway.

‘What did I do wrong? I was nothing but good in life!’

“Pretty meek, ain’t he, Mez?” Goz pointed at Gohan with his elbow.

“Yah.” A red ogre of similar build to Goz nodded at his partner. “At least he’s not putting up a huge fuss like the others with full bodies.”

“Aw, but I like it when they do.” Goz chortled with a mischievous tone, “Seeing their faces when they get thrown through the trap hole is pretty funny! The new security measures are fun to use, too.”

They walked for a short time, the hallway getting darker and more ominous the further they traveled. Goz and Mez cracking a few jokes here and there, but Gohan remained silent. Their journey finally concluded after broaching the end of the hallway. It opened up into a cavernous room with the sort of aesthetic that a medieval torture dungeon designer might come up with. All stone walls and burning torches mounted on skeletal holders, it was to the point that Gohan half expected the ceiling to be spiked. A large, black stone door with ancient runes carved into the arch above it stood before the group.

“Here we are!” Mez chirped, a dark snicker coming out of him, echoed by his partner as they watched the mounting distress on the teen’s face.

Gohan looked up at the haunting door, a sigh of resignation pulling out of him at his unexpected fate. It just wasn’t fair; he truly couldn’t think of a single thing that earned him a place here. Everything about this situation tormented him far worse than anything up to that point in his life, and it was only going to get worse from here.

“Welcome, Gohan, to the gates of Hell.”

Chapter Text

Abandon all hope, ye who enter here.’ Gohan quoted mentally, never once in his life thinking that he would seriously end up here.

There may have been a joke here or there, while doing something stupid or laughing at another’s misery, that he might have thought to himself ‘I’m going to Hell for this.’. But it was never literal, the supposed sins he committed never reaching a severity that he would have to actually worry about his immortal soul. It was beyond surreal, that the only thing he could think that earned him this sort of punishment was simply the sheer amount and buildup of things he did or didn’t do, rather than a few serious sinful acts.

‘Were my anger issues the reason? My sexual fantasies and dreams? That time I stole a gumball as a kid…?’

The more he thought on it, the more it simply didn’t make any damn sense. It was frustrating! It was unfair! It was a million of things that seemed to tweak at his internal temper gauge and made his ki start to rise in fury.

‘No!’

Gohan snapped himself out of one of his anger spirals, shaking his head to clear away the red haze that had started to flood his vision. Shame filled him, the beast inside him had come alive once again, ready to lash out and destroy, and he barely stopped it in time. He couldn’t let it consume him again, especially now.

‘Now’s the time to think, not fight.’ The logical part of him asserted, taking the reins of his mind. ‘I’ve been sentenced to Hell for an unknown reason. Even King Yemma doesn’t know why I was sent and knows it was a mistake. This might have all just been a big bureaucratic screw up and nothing I did wrong.’

Gohan felt a bit calmer after that, thanking whatever gods out there that determined this stuff for giving him his mother’s intelligence. It helped to think his way through such issues rather than giving into his rage.

“Now that we’re here, we need to go over the rules before we send you in.” Mez looked directly at Gohan, adjusting his glasses in a scholarly manner. “Consider this your orientation.”

“Rules? Orientation? Isn’t this just…eternal punishment?” Gohan couldn’t help but question.

“Common misconception.” Goz bluntly stated, scratching the side of his nose.

“Yah, Hell isn’t really built to just punish people for their sins, at least on a personal level. Not enough staff for that.” Mez nodded along.

“Ookay then…” Gohan trailed off, not really sure what to say to that revelation.

“Now, we have three major rules, the first is no escape attempts. Escaping is a high-level crime here.”

“Not that you can any more…” Goz grinned, giggling like a little kid who knew something important that he couldn’t share right away. Gohan noted and filed that info away for later.

“The second is no killing. We’ve had enough of that to last an afterlife.” Mez growled.

“Woah, woah, woah!” Gohan shouted, holding up his hands and shaking his head in disbelief. “Back up, why, and how can people be killed in Hell? Everyone’s dead!”

“Technically, yes! But you and the others in Hell have a physical body.” Goz gestured to his form, which Gohan looked down at. He looked like himself and not a puff cloud like most of the other souls he had seen. “Physical bodies can be damaged until they take what would be fatal damage in life. Then, once that happens, the physical body disintegrates and the soul retreats into the primordial vats and forms a new body there.”

“So, why is it a problem if you ‘die’, then? Your body just gets remade.” Gohan pointed out.

“Because fishing people out of the vats is annoying and gross!” Mez huffed before shuddering in revulsion. “Sooo sticky…”

“So, no killing, okay?”

“Alright, I understand. But I gotta ask, why even let Hell’s residents have a physical body that can get killed?” Gohan tapped his foot and crossed his arms, confused, and probably resembling his father a bit in that moment. The more he learned about the afterlife, the more he was certain that whoever set it up was probably crazy.

“Because,” Goz started with a mildly sinister grin, “It wouldn’t be Hell if you couldn’t feel pain.”

“I though you said Hell wasn’t built for punishment?”

“It’s not, from us at the very least.” Mez smiled smugly in his assertion. “But, I believe the human phrase ‘Hell is other people’ is a good way to explain it. We specifically made the no killing rule for our sakes, not yours. Anything else someone does to you is fair game.”

Gohan’s eyes widened in horror at the thought. The other hellish denizens going out of their way to hurt each other was a strong possibility, especially some of the monsters he knew were down here. He could probably fight them off, but he knew some of them would be relentless in making him hurt and if a few of them captured him when weakened, they could do far worse then beat him up. He shuddered, praying for dad to hurry up and resurrect him already.

“Hope you didn’t have too many enemies.” Goz laughed out loud, having read the look on the teen’s face, Mez lightly chuckling beside him.

“Yes, yes, ahem. The final rule is no major damages to the landscape. Minor terraforming, farming, and building stuff is fine; but no blowing up mountains. You break any of these rules and you get punished.” Mez concluded with a serious look.

“I’m almost afraid to ask, but what would be the punishment?” Gohan shifted his weight, a nervous clenching of his clasped arms.

“Hopefully, you won’t find out.” Goz teased, waggling his finger at Gohan in a ‘tsk, tsk’ motion.

Gohan shivered, wondering what exactly could be worse than having to deal with Hell.

“Alright, that’s it.” Mez gave a thumbs up to Goz and they both placed their palms on the door. The runes glowed a haunting purple before the door seemed to dissolve away in front of them. Looking inward, the entire entrance seemed to be a pure black void with no hint of light or anything further down.

“Time to say hi to the others!” Goz cackled before pushing Gohan through with the end of his club.

Gohan stumbled forward, seeing nothing but black everywhere he looked. He couldn’t even see the entrance he came from. It was like he had suddenly gone blind. Pure darkness all around him, almost choking in its impenetrability. He reached out a hand to grasp at nothing, no walls, or barriers to even hint at where he was going.

‘Well shit.’

Careful not to trip over his own feet, Gohan decided to simply walk forward and hope for the best. As he walked into the purest example of the unknown he could ever fathom, Gohan reflected on the last hour. He had died and gone to Hell. It still rattled him that that was a factual statement about his life.

‘Afterlife.’ He mentally corrected.

From the tales his father told him after his first resurrection, Hell was mostly quiet and unassuming, with only the ogres being really notable about it. Which, if the idea that Hell itself wasn’t going to bother punishing you, made sense. The rules seemed easy enough to follow and obey as well, enough that he wouldn’t have to worry too much about breaking them himself.

No, the thing to worry about was the other unfortunate souls he was trapped with. With a good chuck of the most evil and sadistic villains to ever exist no doubt being there, he was effectively a sheep waltzing into a den of hungry wolves. He would have to tread lightly and scope things out to see if he was going to be in some serious trouble.

All the more fitting that he stepped onto the first thing that felt different since he started walking. Instead of a featureless floor, he felt the soft ‘crunch’ of dirt beneath his boots. Following the sounds and feel of soil bellow, he started to hear more sounds. Running water, strange animal chirps and gurgles of something that sounded like heavy snoring. Nothing to worry about, had this been Earth that is.

Gohan breathed out a heavy breath of his own, feeling the dense, warm air start to curl around him. It almost felt like it was trying to suffocate him, his chest feeling oddly tight in the atmosphere building itself around him. A slight ache started to form in his left arm and he realized what was going on.

‘The gravity is higher than normal.’ Gohan internally groaned, never enjoying the feel of increased gravity on his body even though it was necessary for the more intense levels of training. ‘Must be around two or three-times Earth’s.’

Centering himself, Gohan stood still for a few minutes to breathe and get himself used to the increased pressure on his body. It wouldn’t do him any good to be thrown off his game should he be attacked out of the blue. Closing his eyes, he felt as if the world suddenly spun around him, startling him out of his concentration.

“Wha…” He blurted out as he noticed his surroundings made a complete change from the black void he had been stumbling through for the last hour or so.

The place was vibrant. Colorful grass and a bright orange and pink sky with puffy yellow clouds trailing past an endless horizon. Hints of infinite sunlight projecting from all directions gave the world around Gohan the feeling of an eternal high noon. Purple mountains in the distance broke up the horizon line and rocky outcroppings surrounded the blue-green grass that made up the plains around him.

It was almost too lovely a landscape to be Hell. In fact, the only hellish features that stood out where the creepy-looking spiky trees and the water. In almost a direct counter to the perfectly healthy and beautifully green grasslands, the water instead looked like it was made of blood. Fresh blood at that, as it was a match for the vibrant shade of freshly spilled life fluids.

‘I hope it doesn’t taste like blood…’ Gohan thought queasily, staring at the large pool of liquid making up a massive pond. He swore something large was lurking in it as well, which up-ed the creep factor.

Though some things were definitely off, this place wasn’t even close to as bad as Gohan expected it to be. He could handle gross blood water, and looking around, everything else was fairly mild. His shoulders relaxed from their hunched position and waltzed around a bit, keeping his ki low enough that he could be mistaken for not having any. A breezy look crossed his face.

‘Well, nothing wrong yet. Good news there!’

“Hey there, little boy.” Someone spoke from behind him.

Gohan held back a yelp of surprise as he jolted from the sudden greeting. It hadn’t sounded very friendly.

Spinning around on his heel, he took a look at who had addressed him. The smirking face of a strange-looking dog man stared back at him, surrounded on both sides by a few others with equally sinister looks on their faces.

‘Spoke too soon.’

Chapter Text

‘This really isn’t my day, is it?’ Gohan griped to himself mentally, quickly growing annoyed with all the rotten luck he experienced in the last few hours alone. He really was starting to think that this was all a form of divine punishment, but Gods know for what reason.

Deciding to play it cool and try to avoid a fight, he squared his shoulders and nodded firmly at the clear leader. His confidence would hopefully make the dogman and his crew reconsider any plans they had. It was mostly for their sakes, since he doubted they were much of a match for him. Most beings simply weren’t these days.

“Hello sir. May I help you?” Gohan spoke in a clear and self-assured tone.

“Aw, ain’t that cute? He’s being all polite.” One of the gang members, a fat pinkish lizard-fish of some sort, crowed in amusement.

“Yeah, Archa, guess he knows who’s the boss!” Another member, this one a shorter and stick-thin green humanoid with a mohawk, snickered.

The third member, a humongous red humanoid that looked like an orc, said nothing but giggled in a deep ‘huwa, huwa’ noise at his friends’ words.

The dogman, Archa apparently, smirked as his crew laughed all around him at Gohan’s expense. He was a tall and bulky blue-furred creature, but reading his open and unmasked ki told Gohan everything he needed to know. Namely that he wasn’t even close to a threat to him.

‘I was stronger than him when I was 5 years old.’ Gohan thought, keeping his face neutral so he didn’t end up sneering.

“Now, now…” Archa waved his arms in a hushing motion, getting the group to settle down. “We mustn't laugh at the kid for being smart. In fact,…”

A dark look crossed the face of the canine as he trailed off, his eyes roaming Gohan’s body salaciously and licking his rubbery lips. Gohan did not like the look the beast was giving him.

“We should reward him.”

The giggles of the crew started again, this time with a more sinister edge as they added hoots and whistles. There were even a few catcalls and lewd gestures thrown Gohan’s way, much to his displeasure.

‘Of course.’ Gohan groaned internally. ‘I guess I shouldn’t be too surprised that the official ‘Welcome to Hell’ is attempted gang rape.’

“Now, what say you, boy? Gunna be good and come play with us?” Archa grinned. His large, bladed maw was on full display as he lifted his clawed fingers to entice the teen to him. “We’ll have lots of fun together.”

“Nah, I’m good, but thanks for the offer!” Gohan replied cheekily, preparing mentally for the fight that was going to inevitably happen. He doubted the leader of a gang of rapists would take ‘No’ for an answer, no matter how politely he worded it.

“Hmph.” The dogman scoffed, though the grin hadn’t been wiped off his face. “Fine then, the hard way it is. Socco, Bask, Volli; pin him.”

The three gang members obeyed their boss’s order, walking towards Gohan cackling all the way. The fat, pink one that reminded him of Dodoria but uglier, stepped up to him first, readying a grab. Gohan simply let it happen, allowing his shoulders to be snatched by blubbery hands. He felt the creature attempt to push him down, but he held still, steeling himself into position and unable to be moved by such weak muscles.

The fish thing looked concerned by this, pushing harder but only seeing his feet dig deeper into the soil as he pressed onto Gohan. His body no doubt feeling like pushing onto a brick wall for the pink creature. The thing had the sense to stop for a moment and turn to his boss.

“Socco, what the hell are you doing?” Archa growled, annoyed.

“Um boss? I can’t budge ‘im!” Socco yelled back, emphasizing this by shoving on the teen’s shoulders once more.

The green human-like one blinked in surprise at the declaration, turning to Gohan. Gohan simply raised an eyebrow at him and watched as he joined in the attempt to push him to the ground. It didn’t help in the slightest. Gohan moved his head to keep Archa in his line of sight, just in time to see the blue dogman smack his face in disbelief.

“Good fucking grief. Volli! Knock him down!” Archa snarled, clearly fed up now.

Socco and Bask stepped out of the way, letting the towering orc-like creature come towards the much shorter teen. Volli, clearly a man of few words, only let out a warning growl before readying a punch and throwing it at top speed.

As the punch came towards his face, Gohan waited until the last second before expertly dodging it. Volli attempted to pull it back, retracting to be thrown once more, but Gohan grasped the huge arm with his own, locking it in his elbow pit.

Volli roared, startled for a moment by the sudden powerful grab, as Socco and Bask stood by shocked. The red orc attempted to yank his arm out of the elbow lock by using his other hand to grip onto Gohan’s locked arm in an attempt to wrench it open. The other two, shaking off their shock, ran forward mindlessly to assist their crewmate.

Gohan waited just a single moment, watching as the other two buffoons ran right towards him, before making his move. Pulling Volli by his arm, the orc shrieked as Gohan spun his entire self around in a circle, swinging the orc in a wide arc and catching the other two with Volli’s body. They all cried out as they were all painfully smacked together, caught in the momentum of Volli’s spinning body. He made one more full revolution before letting go of Volli’s arm, launching all three of them screaming into the blood pond.

“Heh,” Gohan chuckled, watching as they bobbed around in the waves created by the impact, yelling and choking on the putrid water. Turning around, he looked right at Archa with a wide grin, who was staring in disbelief at his downed squad. “That everything? Or are we done here?”

“Why you little-!” Archa growled low at Gohan’s impertinence, his blue fur starting to puff up in angry spikes.

Gohan felt a mild ki spike, the beast’s eyes starting to glow white as he powered up into what Gohan assumed was some sort of super state. Archa’s body increased in muscle mass and grew a bit taller, but was otherwise unchanged in appearance. His strength doubled, but it was still weaker than a Saibaman.

“Let’s see if you can beat THIS!” Archa roared in pure rage, bolting forward with inhuman speed, a clawed hand reaching forward as he quickly came up on the hybrid.

“Alright, you asked for it.” Gohan replied mildly. He decided to take a move from his worst enemy’s playbook, and simply smacked the dogman with one hand to his side. A long howl of pain was all he heard before the resounding ‘splash’ as Archa found his way into the blood pond as well. He turned to the scene, watching the entire gang was splashing and yelling at him and each other as they tried to stay afloat.

“I think I took that pretty well!” Gohan shouted, grinning at their misfortune he caused.

Gohan watched them attempt to swim out, only for them to start screaming in terror and scramble towards the shore with much more effort. It only puzzled him for a moment before he saw the massive black jaws of a strange sea monster rising from the red water. They moved over all four of them before snapping down, the beast making a large breach before sinking back into the murky depths.

Gohan simply blinked.

“Huh. Guess I was right, there was something in the water.” Gohan mumbled to himself before walking away from the whole scene. He didn’t want to stick around in case his involvement in this counted as killing.

After his meeting with the ‘welcome committee’, he really wasn’t looking forward to interacting with the other residents of Hell. Deciding he was probably a bit safer in the air, he lifted himself off the ground, making sure his ki was low enough to not draw too much attention. He flew forward at high speed, staying lower to the ground and watching for any more trouble.

It was about ten minutes later that he started sensing a huge mass of ki signatures. They held no outward malice, nor were they engaged in battle. In fact, it felt like he was going to come upon a large town.

Curious, Gohan flew towards them, hoping to see exactly why there was such a massive gathering without getting spotted. It was just over a large set of rocky hills that look like they were blasted into the shape they were currently in. He wondered if it was the reason for the ‘no changing the landscape’ rule.

Gohan swooped up the side of the hills and onto one of the upper rock faces, keeping himself low enough that he could peer over the edge. Looking over it and into a massive crater, his jaw dropped at the startling sight.

“A…city?” Gohan slapped a hand over his mouth and glanced around wildly, having spoken unconsciously, but saw that there was no way for anyone to have heard him. Removing his hand, he breathed in relief.

There, in the middle of the crater, was what looked like the start of one hell of an urban development project. The ground had paved and cobbled roads, walkways and the start of a sort of rail or trolley line. Most buildings were only partially completed, half still having scaffolding and temporary roofs, while others had incomplete exterior siding.

The few buildings that were complete appeared to be emulating a cross of multiple species idea of architecture, with some clear Earth influence in the mix. The boxy skyscraper that towered over all others was definitely human-inspired, as it reminded him of a few of the corporate management buildings that the Briefs owned. Its industrial edges and obsidian exterior giving it a powerful and dominating appearance.

‘I’m betting whoever is in charge here lives in that thing.’ Gohan chuckled to himself.

Figuring that he was probably safe, since there weren’t any power levels worth worrying over outwardly on display, Gohan hopped over the edge of the crater and slid a ways down. A few people stopped and stared at his odd descent, but almost immediately went back to whatever they were doing. Walking forward, he found himself in the middle of a huge crowd.

There were hundreds of beings milling about in what looked like some sort of otherworldly bazaar. He could see several market stands and hear various voices calling out items they had for sale. There were even foods and drinks being sold, the sight of which made Gohan scratch his head in confusion.

‘Do we even need to eat? I don’t feel hungry.’ Gohan questioned himself. His stomach would have been rumbling by now after smelling the barest hint of food after spending hours without, and yet he didn’t even feel the slightest urge. It was the strangest lack of sensation he had ever experienced; Saiyans were never not hungry.

Looking all around, he noticed that there was a system of currency being exchanged, though the coinage was unfamiliar. Black and red with markings that made it look like solidified magma. It confirmed that Hell had not escaped the binds of capitalism, which meant people likely worked to earn those coins.

‘And if people work…’ Gohan thought while looking around. A small smile grew upon spotting a familiar sight; a neon sign of a bottle representing beer. ‘...they drink. Good, I can dig up some info from the local watering hole.’

Stepping through the throngs of people, Gohan made his way to the building without much fanfare. No one gave him a second glance when he walked into the bar, apparently used to the occasional stranger. The bartender could be heard rummaging in the back, the clinking noises and the occasional grunt told him that he was fetching glassware.

Shrugging, Gohan plopped himself on one of the stools and faced the rest of the patrons. Most of them looked like they were regulars here, and day drinkers at that, which wasn’t too surprising.

‘I can’t imagine Hell is too fun with or without alcohol. Question is if we can even get drunk. Sure looks like it.’

The rest of the bar was fairly low-key and casual, with new furnishings that seemed consistent but alien. Almost like he stepped into a bar on Yardrat or something and not like the cultural mishmash outside.

‘Probably who ever owns this made it like his home’s bars.’ Gohan thought to himself before sensing the bartender approach him from behind. He didn’t bother turning around to face them, feeling no hostility from the other but mild curiosity instead, and continued his people watching.

“Well, you look a bit young to be drinkin’. Good thing we don’t check for ages here.” The bartender quipped, a squeaking noise letting Gohan know that he was cleaning a mug in an almost stereotypical way.

“Good news for me then, cause I left my fake ID in my other pants.” Gohan snarked back, enjoying the first bit of friendly banter he’s heard since arriving. He smiled at the sound of the bartender having a hearty chuckle at his joke.

“You’re alright, kid. Here.” Gohan felt a cold bottle getting placed by his arm. “On the house. What got a kid like you sent to Hell anyways? Kill a couple people?”

“Funny you should say that,” Gohan started, turning his body to face the bartender. However his story died in his throat upon looking at the face of the man who served him a free beer. A face he hadn’t seen since childhood, but would be forever burned in his mind as the first source of trauma he ever experienced. Eyes wide, he couldn’t stop himself from blurting out.

“Uncle Raditz!?”

Chapter Text

Gohan couldn’t keep his jaw from dropping at the sight of his long deceased uncle, standing behind a counter with a rag cleaning a pint glass. The man had been dead for over a decade, his father and Piccolo having slayed him, but looked no different from the day he perished. Same obnoxiously long hair, same harsh features, he even still had a tail wrapped around his waist. The only thing different were the casual clothes he was now wearing instead of the alien body armor. It was beyond surreal, but he should have expected it.

‘He was a genocidal space mercenary, of course he’s here.’

To his credit, Raditz only gave him a confused look, not really ceasing his cleaning. He almost opened his mouth to protest, but stopped as he truly looked at who he was speaking to. Gohan watched as his uncle glanced over his form, staring at his orange gi in particular, eyes slowly widening in realization at just who the teen sitting in front of him actually was.

“Wait, you...you’re Kakarot’s son!” Raditz almost shouted in surprise, setting the glass he was cleaning down so he didn’t accidentally drop it. A few patrons looked up at the commotion, but almost immediately went back to their drinks, uninterested in anything outside of their glasses and bottles.

“Uh, yeah.” Gohan scratched the back of his head awkwardly, not really sure how to move forward with this. “It’s Gohan.”

“Shit…” Raditz breathed out the curse, looking around like he was searching for someone specific in the bar.

“Soo…” Gohan began uncomfortably.

“You’re dad isn’t here right?” Raditz demanded, cutting him off.

“What? No, he’s alive. Fighting a monster and...stuff.” Gohan gave his uncle a sheepish shrug. He noticed that Raditz didn’t look angry or vengeful, instead he looked...worried?

“Alright, I can buy that...figures he’s alive again. Now, why are you here?” Raditz looked at him sternly.

Gohan sighed deeply, feeling the heavy notion of ‘fuck it’ in his bones. He grabbed the beer, still ice cold, and popped off the lid with a flick of his thumb before downing half of it on one go. It was refreshing and light, but with a slightly higher then expected taste of alcohol, at least compared to the beers he received secretly from Bulma under party tables.

Raditz was watching him patiently, letting Gohan settle his nerves enough to spill his story. He couldn’t help but be thankful for that, finding his uncle to be far more reasonable then when he was practically a toddler. Setting the half drunk beer bottle on the counter, Gohan looked at Raditz, and told him his story. Raditz soaked in everything, from his death on Earth, his odd encounter with King Yemma and the mysterious question as to why he was here.

“So, I don’t really know why I’m here. From what it sounded like, I’m guessing my file was mismarked or something. I really can’t understand why either.” Gohan finished, along with his drink.

“Hm, sounds like it.” Raditz nodded his head, having gone back to his duties in the middle of Gohan’s recap, looking significantly less ruffled now. “From what I’ve seen, the whole set up is a bureaucratic nightmare and has some of the shittiest management this side of the South Galaxy.”

“No kidding. They're still using paper for everything too.” Gohan snickered.

“Yup, complete shit show. Bet they’ve fucked up and sent some obvious asshole to Heaven in your slot by mistake.” Raditz chuckled with a shake of his head.

“Probably.” Gohan laughed, feeling much lighter then he’s felt in a long time. Having an easy and fun conversation with someone who wouldn’t be upset with him being ‘informal’, or ‘not himself’. It was hard to always keep up the appearance of respectability, and being able to let loose with someone without it getting back to his mother was a breath of fresh air.

“So, I’m guessing you didn’t come in here just to shoot the shit with the guy who kidnapped you as a child? Because that would be weird.” Raditz joked, smirking when Gohan let out his own laugh.

“Nah, I was looking for info about this place. Mainly to avoid some of dad’s old ‘friends’ who might want to say ‘Hi’ to me in his place.”

“Yeah, I can see that happening.” Raditz scoffed, shaking his head with a sardonic smirk. “Though from what I’ve heard around the grapevine, you’ve got a ‘friend’ with a nasty grudge as well.”

Gohan’s eyebrows crinkled together in momentary confusion, before widening in disbelief at the realization of just who Raditz was talking about.

“Wait, Cell!? He’s here!?”

“What, did you think he was in Heaven? He’s bragged about killing millions and your dad. Especially your dad, probably because it pisses Frieza off.” Raditz smirked lightly, no doubt thinking of the tyrant’s angry shrieking about his father.

“No, I thought he was an android! Like, completely machine and man-made but with organic material instead of wires and shit!” Gohan exclaimed, waving his hands in an erratic gesture. “I didn’t think he had a soul to send to Hell!”

“Well, he does apparently.” Raditz shrugged nonchalantly. “And he hates your guts, kiddo.”

Gohan groaned and let his face smack onto the bar-top counter. His terrible luck seems to just keep roasting him, because now he had a new, or rather old, threat to deal with. He didn’t want to think about another encounter with the being that still, to this day, gave him horrible nightmares and random panic attacks.

“Hey, relax kid.” Raditz spoke low in a comforting voice, something Gohan wouldn’t have expected from the other man. “He almost never comes into the city.”

That puzzled Gohan. Peering up he had to ask, “Why?”

“No interest in other people. He’s always out in the wasteland, hundreds of miles from here.” Raditz shrugged, looking out towards the bar’s street window. “I think he’s training. That’s all I’ve ever seen him do, aside from make snippy comments, brag and have the occasional pissing contest with Frieza. He doesn’t eat, drink, play games, socialize. Nothing.”

Gohan nodded at this, still looking down at the bar. He had a feeling that if the bio-android ever found out he was here, he would be making a visit to the city to find him for a rematch. Even worse, if Cell was anything like Frieza or even Vegeta, his vengeance wouldn’t be pretty. With the constant training, Gohan could only hope that he was strong enough to beat him again even with his power increase.

“Don’t look so glum.” Raditz set another beer by his arm before popping one open for himself and taking a swig. “Not too many people here like to fight, so just keep your brawling and exploding things to a minimum and he probably won’t come around.”

“Yeah, I guess you’re right.” Gohan nodded, taking the fresh beer and enjoying his own drink. It was still likely that he would end up encountering Cell, but maybe he would be resurrected before running into him. He could only hope at this point.

They sat in silence for a time, simply drinking the intoxicating liquid in comfort and enjoying the rare moment of quiet. Gohan felt that it was strange to feel any sort of joy or peace in Hell, but maybe that was his living perspective interfering with the reality. Hell was more like life then he would have ever imagined. It was like he left his mountain home and found himself in the middle of a slum’s bar; not the best place to be, sure, but not terrible and actually kinda fun in the inherent danger and exposure to casual sin.

“So,” Raditz finally broke the silence, pointing his bottle at Gohan. “Tell me what I missed. I’ve been gone for awhile, so I’m dying to know.”

Gohan smiled and shook his head at the bad joke. “The other baddies haven’t told you?”

“They have, but I want to hear it from the other side, because it sounds like my brother has done some crazy shit.”

And so Gohan told him. He told him everything. His encounters with the Saiyans, his travels to Namek, fighting the Frieza Force in it’s entirety, his dad turning Super Saiyan and defeating Frieza. Raditz had grinned at that part, eyes lighting up in a way Gohan would have never expected.

“I can’t believe it.” Raditz laughed, “My brother, the weakest Saiyan to have ever been born. A low class runt everyone expected to die on Earth, and he’s the legendary Super Saiyan to defeat Frieza. Dad would have been so proud.”

“My grandfather?” Gohan questioned.

“Yeah. Rumor is that he was the only Saiyan to know what Frieza was planning to do to Planet Vegeta, and tried to stop him. I never found out until after I died. I’m not too surprised, though, we as a species were a threat and Frieza is a pragmatist. Good to know he got his ass kicked by a Saiyan regardless.”

He told him about Trunks coming to the past and killing Frieza and King Cold near instantly, all to warn his dad about the Androids and his potential death via virus. Fighting Dr. Gero and 19, only to find out that there were more androids and they could beat Super Saiyan. Training in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber and pushing beyond Super Saiyan.

“Crazy to think that there are levels beyond a literal legend. To think our kind had this potential, but no one had ever reached it.” Raditz pondered, taking a large gulp of his beer in his musings.

“I think we really did stumble on the formula by sheer luck.” Gohan commented, gesturing at his uncle with his own bottle. “It goes against everything one would learn about true fighting; giving into your deepest and purest rage, letting it consume you with single-mindedness and going crazy with it. If Frieza hadn’t murdered Krillin right in front of my dad after he was already on his last frayed nerves, he probably would have never become Super Saiyan.”

“Shit, sounds like I need to get really pissed off about something, then I’d transform too.” Raditz grinned at the idea, rubbing his chin in thought. “Not sure how I’d look with gold hair though.”

Gohan laughed at that.

The more somber parts of his story came up, with Gohan recounting his turmoil with the fight with Cell, the loss of 16 who had no soul to revive and turning Super Saiyan 2 in his rage. His stupidity in his arrogant beating of Cell leading to the mother of all suicidal temper tantrums that nearly ended the Earth, his father’s sacrifice only for it to have been pointless as Cell hadn’t been killed. Trunks being killed and Vegeta going ballistic, nearly ascending to Super Saiyan 2 himself only to be swatted aside like a fly and nearly killed. Gohan being forced to rescue Vegeta at the cost of a working limb in a critical moment, that still occasionally ached to this day even when healed. The murderous bug monster glaring at him with such haunting hate and cruelty, the terrifying final beam struggle, his father’s voice calling to him from Heaven and finally peace with the bio-android’s death.

“Damn, no wonder you’re so freaked out about him. I don’t think I would have been able to handle any of that nearly as well as you did, and you were like 11.”

“I don’t think I handled it well at all, anyways. I was so fucking stupid,” Gohan recounted bitterly, hating himself for his arrogance. “I should have just finished him when dad said to. It would have saved everyone so much heart ache.”

“Kid, not to be redundant, but you were a kid. Still are, in fact. You had the literal world on your tiny shoulders against an equally powerful force.” Gohan felt Raditz grasp his shoulder and give it a little shake, making him look his uncle directly in the eyes. “You did better then anyone should expect a child to do, especially an eleven-year-old with that much rage and Saiyan instinct burning in him.”

“…Thank you.” Gohan lightly smiled with a small blush heating his cheeks, feeling the slightest bit of relief. He hadn’t expected to be comforted about his mistakes by Raditz of all people, but maybe that was just because he never expected to meet his uncle again and develop any sort of kinship with him. Existence was a funny thing.

“Besides, it sounds like you gave Vegeta the kick in his ass he needed to step up and be a dad, so it wasn’t all bad.” Raditz commented before pausing and letting out a snort of laughter. “Fuck, Vegeta with a wife and kid. Who would have thought?”

“Yeah, crazy right? He’s still an arrogant jerk sometimes, but at least I know he genuinely loves Bulma and Trunks and would die for them.” Gohan smiled at that, happy to know his father’s faith in Vegeta hadn’t been misplaced after all.

“Die for them?”

Gohan smiled and told him the rest. About the long peace, his stint as the Great Saiyaman, which got a roaring laugh out of Raditz, much to his embarrassment. About the tournament and his father returning for a day. Everything with Babidi and Majin Buu’s release, Vegeta’s turn to evil only to reverse his course and sacrifice himself to end Buu for his son and wife’s sake, something that caused an odd little smile to cross Raditz’s features. His time spent with the Supreme Kai, Old Kai and his father, training to fight Buu. All the way to his defeat, absorption and eventual death by Buu.

“Annnd, now I’m hoping that dad and Vegeta can kill this thing before it destroys literally everything in the universe.” Gohan waved his hand in a dismissive sweep.

“Can’t think of anything better then the universe getting destroyed by a primordial bubblegum monster.” Raditz snarked. “But I wouldn’t worry. Sounds like they had it on the ropes before it blew up the planet. They’ll kill it.”

“I’m certain they can do it or figure something out but damn if the wait to be revived isn’t getting me worried.” Gohan exclaimed, scrubbing a palm over his face. “It’s been almost a whole day, I would have expected this to be done hours ago.”

Raditz gave Gohan a strange look, which had Gohan raising an eyebrow at. It was like he said something unusual that had perturbed his uncle, but he couldn’t think of what. It was even more alarming when his uncle’s eyes widened in sudden realization.

“...Oh shit, you don’t know about the time distortion effect.”

“Th-the what!?” Gohan sputtered, nearly dropping the almost empty bottle in his hand. It didn’t take a genius to figure out what the string of words meant and it had warning sirens ringing in his ears.

“It’s..uh, well.” Raditz scratched the back of his head, a familiar gesture that turned out the be a family trait, much to Gohan’s astonishment. “You see, time doesn’t exactly...flow correctly here in Hell. It’s almost completely random how long things are in the real world verses here. Sometimes seconds out there are hours in here, and other times it’s reversed. But lately, time’s been getting slower and slower, decades in here taking days out there and it keeps stretching, and no one really knows why.”

The implications of such phenomenon had Gohan stunned silent. He had expected to be out of the afterlife within a day or two at most, depending on how things went. This revelation, however, destroyed that likelihood for him. For him, in Hell, his father could still be fighting Buu anywhere from days to years from now. That meant having to watch his back, looking out for murderous magenta eyes and hoping they never met his for possible years.

“...Raditz, it’s been 13 years since you died for me.” Gohan felt his body trembling, but he needed to know. “How long has it been for you?”

Raditz sighed deeply, knowing the answer would sting, “60 years, Gohan.”

The beer bottle finally dropped from Gohan’s hand, shattering on the floor into a million pieces.

Chapter Text

“It’s not so bad, you know.” Raditz commented, sweeping up the remains of the broken bottle dropped from his utterly shocked and devastated nephew’s hand.

Gohan had sat there at the bar, sitting on the stool unmoving for the last five minutes. Eyes wide and staring ahead in disbelief, his brain effectively frozen in time. The news had been taken very hard, it seemed, and Gohan just couldn’t pull himself together after the revelation of his extended stay.

“Hell really isn’t that different from regular life. Most people here are actually pretty peaceful too, so it’s not a constant bloodbath or anything. Not a lot of torture going on either, and you’re way stronger then most others so you don’t even have to worry about it.” Raditz shrugged, finishing his sweeping and tossing the glass into a trash bin.

“Yo Raditz, he gonna be alright?” One of the patrons pipped up, having noticed the teen’s unmoving frame. A few others nodded at the question.

“He’ll be fine.” Raditz shook his head, fetching another drink for a customer. “He’s got newbie shock, that’s all.”

The patrons mumbled in understanding and went back to their own business, leaving Raditz to deal with the statue that was his nephew.

“Alright.” Raditz grumbled, making his way back to the bar. “Enough moping!”

Raditz went up to Gohan and wapped him on the back of the head, earning a startled “Ow!” out of the teen, now rubbing his skull and glaring at his uncle for the hit. There were a few chuckles from those who saw.

“You’re letting your human emotions get to you, so Saiyan up and get over it!” Raditz huffed loudly, going back to cleaning his bar counter, aggressively wiping it down.

“Ugh.” Gohan growled, still smarting from the hit. “Seriously? How am I supposed to ‘get over’ the fact that I’m gonna be stuck here for Hell knows how long?”

“Like everyone else.”

“What, by day drinking?” Gohan hissed with a sneer.

“No, dipshit. You do what you would have done in life.” Raditz stated, a bit more calmly this time.

“I…” Gohan started before pausing, looking curiously at his uncle. His uncle, a former mercenary working for Frieza, currently tending a bar; serving customers drinks, cleaning up messes, chatting with the regulars. His brows knitted in confusion with the conflicting information. “Is... is this what you did in life?”

“No.” Raditz stated simply, almost somber in cadence. “But I wanted to.”

Gohan felt a pang of sorrow for his uncle. Such a simple want; to run a bar, and yet he couldn’t do so in life. Being kept on a leash by a tyrant who slaughtered his entire species, only allowed to fight and kill for his entire life. Something he unconsciously tried to drag his brother and nephew into, maybe out of a misguided attempt at reclaiming the family he had lost.

“...sorry.” Gohan said in a tiny voice.

“Pft, don’t be. I was a shitty person in life and you know it.” Raditz looked up at Gohan and smirked. “I did kidnap you and nearly murdered your two dads.”

Gohan nearly choked with unexpected laughter at the remark. “Oh gods, don’t say that!”

“Why not? You’re basically the Namekian’s son from the stories you told me.” Raditz grinned mischievously. “I doubt he would have sacrificed his life and took so many hits for you if he didn’t adore you, kiddo.”

“Ah, yeah I guess.” Gohan rubbed the back of his head, blushing at the thought of Piccolo truly caring for him like that. He certainly saw his stoic mentor as a father-like figure in his life, though he couldn’t be certain Piccolo saw him like a son. Maybe Raditz had a point. “Still, I don’t think either of them, or my mom, would appreciate the implication of claiming he’s my other dad, you know.”

Raditz cackled with laughter, which Gohan found himself joining in. His mood was a bit better, and though he was still worried about his extended stay in Hell, he felt it more distantly then before. He was thankful to have run into his uncle, and that he turned out to be a pretty decent guy. When he wasn’t trying to blow up planets or kidnap people, that is.

“So, 60 years. I guess that means you’ve done a lot of different things before this, huh?”

“Yeah, you could say that.” Raditz nodded his head, rinsing a few of the freshly washed pieces of bar equipment. “Though the city is pretty recent, if you couldn’t tell.”

“I was going to ask about that. It looks partially finished, but with a ton more to do. Who came up with it?” Gohan asked, plucking what looked like a nut of some kind from a bowl Raditz had set out for the patrons, and chewing on it. It tasted like a cashew, but slightly meaty and had a crunchier texture.

“King Cold, believe it or not.”

“Seriously!?” Gohan’s eyes widened at the thought of the city being run by Frieza’s father of all people.

“Yeah, so awhile back, when King Cold arrived in Hell with Frieza and a good chunk of his men, he didn’t like how Hell was basically an uninhabited area. No houses, streets, roads, nothing. If someone wanted a ‘house’ back then, they usually found an empty cave or something.” Raditz shrugged. “I lived in worse, so it wasn’t a huge deal to me, but you know how royal folk are.”

“Yeah, sleeping on the ground doesn’t seem like King Cold’s style, from what little I know about him.” Gohan nodded.

“Oh Hell no, he would never. So, he, being the strongest in Hell at the time, basically pulled everyone together to build him a new palace essentially.”

“Sounds like he was trying to rule in Hell like he ruled in life.” Gohan pointed out, nothing of which surprised him. It sounded exactly what he expected the Cold family would do. “But I guess having a home wasn’t enough?”

“Kinda. To get the stuff he wanted in life, all the luxuries and whatnot, he realized he needed to establish a proper economy. He needed farmers, craftsmen, builders, et cetera. So, in exchange for people stepping up and using their talents for his benefit instead of threatening them, he basically arranged the construction of a city. One that could let everyone exist like they had in life or do things that they actually wanted to do. Something better then an empty wasteland with nothing to do but hurt or be hurt.”

“Ambitious, also seems like something the higher ups wouldn’t like.”

“Yeah, turns out his project turned a few heads upstairs.” Raditz nodded, eyes closed in remembrance. “They ultimately deemed the project acceptable, but we couldn’t blow up the land anymore. They didn’t like the crater.”

“Huh.” Gohan gazed in confusion at the bar counter in front of him. “I wonder why this was okay-ed. Seems like the opposite of eternal damnation and punishment.”

“Probably has to do with the supposed ‘rehabilitation’ we’ve been doing with the stupid Soul Scrubber.” Raditz hissed out the name of the device like a curse.

“I’m guessing by that name, it...scrubs your soul?” Gohan’s nose crunched up at the idea. He couldn’t imagine such an experience being very pleasant.

“Ugh, imagine the worst bath of your life mixed with waterboarding. That’s what it’s like.” Raditz shivered in revulsion. “We have to do it every year. Supposedly it cleans up the ‘evil’ that chips off our souls like...dandruff I think.”

“That sounds insane, but given everything I’ve seen today…” Gohan trailed off, grabbing another nut to nibble on. It was nice to taste food without the hunger interfering with the pleasure. “Now, what about the stronger people coming in after Cold?”

“Most of them weren’t really interested in trying to take it over or anything like that. Cooler basically rolled with it and lives in one of the penthouses. Daddy still loves his kids, I guess.” Raditz shrugged. “The android guy, Gero, he actually offered to help with a lot of the electrical and tech work for the city, in exchange for a lab built to his specifications.”

“Wow, I’m surprised. He definitely seemed like the kind of guy who wanted to rule the world.” Gohan paused and then amended. “After killing my dad, that is.”

“I think he was more interested in building his machines. He was happy to let Cold handle the bureaucratic shit.” Raditz tapped his chin. “Actually, I think everyone has been okay with that. With Cold as the mayor, everything has been going good so far. We have several fully established farms, mines, a few factories, nearly everyone has a house...he’s pretty good at directing work where it needs to be done and keeping the peace.”

“Is that how you got a bar?” Gohan asked, interested. “From King Cold?”

“Yeah, pretty much. We had alcohol makers and whatnot, but no one to serve it in a reasonable way. People wanted a drink after working on projects, so I saw the demand and practically hand-built this place myself. Cold saw what I was doing and got the brewers in contact with me. We basically devised a system of money overnight and Cold would pay the workers it to exchange for drinks from me.” Raditz pulled out one of the red and black coins from his pants pocket, showing it to Gohan. “One of these in exchange for a standardized drink of their choice, two for a specialty or mixed drink and three for a luxury brew. From there, every single other industry started using these coins to trade their goods and services.”

“Amazing.” Gohan breathed, impressed by the entire thing. “You really did build an economy from scratch.”

“Heh, not too bad, right?” Raditz smirked proudly. “So, you see. You can do whatever you want here. Some things you need help with, of course, but shit like being an artist, writer, farmer or cook? You can jump right into.”

“Hm.” Gohan hummed, thinking about what was said. “I’m not sure...I was going to school, but I hadn’t really..”

“Well, if you’re gonna do anything, first thing you should do is get rid of those clothes.” Raditz nodded at his gi. “If you don’t want people to know who you are or who you’re related to, that is. You’d pass for an ordinary human or saiyan otherwise. Besides, orange isn’t really your color.”

“Urk!” Gohan nearly choked on one of the nuts he was chewing on, looking down at his clothes. He had honestly forgotten that he died in a near identical outfit to his fathers’, something that a few of the more powerful residents would recognize. Swallowing, he mumbled to himself. “Shit…”

“It’s no big deal, I’ll just bring you to the tailor.” Raditz snickered to himself. Apparently something about that was funny to him.

“Er, I don’t..”

“Don’t worry, I’ll pay for it. You can pay me back by working here.” Raditz glanced up at Gohan with a small smirk, dark eyes glinting. “You need something to do while you figure shit out anyways, and I’ve got a spare bed you can crash in.”

Gohan was stunned speechless. While he didn’t appreciate getting roped into working, per se, he was thankful that his uncle had basically taken him in. A bed sounded heavenly right now, after everything he had been through today. “I-thank you?”

“No problem. Just promise me you won’t try and drink or eat literally everything here. It’s not a need, it’s a pleasure, so don’t let your Saiyan appetite get the better of you.” Raditz grumbled. “Had to kick Turles out for that shit.”

“You know Turles?” Gohan blinked in surprise.

“Duh, he’s my cousin. Your second cousin, I think, if that’s how it works…” Raditz trailed off, noticing the shocked look on his nephew’s face. “Oh, come on. You didn’t know? He looks exactly like your dad!”

“I...you know what. I think that’s enough revelations for one day…” Gohan stifled a yawn, peering outside to see that it was still daylight. “Huh…”

“Yeah, sun never goes down. It’s about nine-ish at night.” Raditz pointed at an analog clock with alien font. The hand positions did indeed confirm that it was around 9. “Go upstairs and take the room on the right. That’s the spare.”

“What about you?” Gohan asked, looking up at his uncle.

“I’ll be working until midnight. Tailor opens at 10am, so we’ll do that first thing in the morning. Your first shift starts tomorrow, so get a good night in.” Raditz nodded at Gohan, before moving over to take the orders of a few customers who just stepped in.

Gohan watched his uncle, who seemed so naturally adapted to this job. It truly was a shame that he had to come to Hell in order to be this, but at least he seemed happy. His gruff generosity was a surprising and refreshing change from what he remembered of him years ago. It made Gohan wonder if the Soul Scrubber he had mentioned had actually removed some of his evil, or if he simply changed due to the years spent in Hell.

Gohan supposed the answer would come to him at some point down the road. For now, though, he wanted to go to bed.

Finding the stairwell, he followed it up to find a fully furnished apartment upstairs. It still looked pretty alien in both style and decor, but most of it he could easily identify. A couch, it seems, is pretty universal. Walking further in, he could see the hallway in the back that had three doors. He did as told and walked into the room on the right, seeing a simply set up bedroom.

“Huh, not too bad actually.” Gohan commented out loud, testing the firmness of the mattress and finding the material to be some sort of alien foam padding. It felt like it might have been an organic material.

‘I wonder how they actually produced most of this stuff. I know there’s plants and animals here, but edible and usable ones? Seems odd.’ Gohan thought to himself as he laid down and covered himself up. The room had become pitch black when he closed the door, and he noticed that the curtains covering the window didn’t let a shred of light in. ‘I wonder if there was some other purpose to Hell, before becoming Hell.’

It was just an odd thought. One that Gohan couldn’t focus on for too long. Not with his eyelids drooping and the desire to sleep overwhelming him. Was it just his living self’s instincts or did his soul really need to sleep? He couldn’t be sure.

What he did know was that he had a long day tomorrow, and it was only the beginning of a longer stay in Hell that he had ever expected.

Chapter Text

“So, probably not the craziest question in the world, but do we actually need to sleep here? I feel oddly well-rested for being essentially a spirit with a hyper-realistic hologram body!” Gohan asked incredulously, chewing on a strange yellow fruit that Raditz had tossed at his head upon waking up and walking down to the bar.

“Yeah, we do actually. We get tired if we use to much energy, so sleeping restores it. Don’t ask why, nobody knows.” Raditz replied with a wave of his hand, looking around and making sure everything was locked up until they got back. “You ready, kiddo?”

“Ready as I’ll ever be.” Gohan muttered, mouth full of the fruit. He pulled on a dark cloak that his uncle pulled out for him, covering his gi to avoid being spotted in it.

They walked out of the bar, Raditz locking the door behind him. Gohan could easily tell that theft was something to worry about, which was unsurprising. It was around 10:30-ish in the morning and may of the market stalls were open for business. The smells and sights of exotic things on sale were interesting, as the sheer cultural diversity was astounding to him. To his amusement, he spotted a small stand with an actual human running it, selling a few familiar foods on it, including homemade chocolate bars.

“Chocolate is pretty universal now.” Raditz, having noticed his gaze. “Apparently a galactic merchant found an unknown backwater planet with it over a hundred years ago and brought the seed pods to his home to cultivate them. They were so popular, it just spread to nearly every civilization. Who knew it originated on Earth, though?”

“Huh.” Gohan thought back to Namek, how the soldiers had chocolate bars there too. “That’s pretty neat. We use it in a lot of stuff, not just desserts and candies you know.”

“Not surprised, the humans are masters of cooking it seems. I can see why Kakarot sided with them!” Raditz laughed lightly. “No joke, that fried tempura fish stuff? Fucking delicious. I’d eat it every day if I could.”

“Well, if it helps, I can make human food.” Gohan said with a shrug. “Mom’s a great cook, good enough that Dad missed it while in Heaven. Pretty sure it’s one of the major reasons he agreed to marry her after finding out what marriage actually was.”

“Yeah, no shock there. Guess that means I can put you in the kitchen back at the bar.” Raditz hummed, eyes gazing around the narrow street they had stepped in to. Looking along the brick and mortar buildings, he pointed out one with an olive-colored awning above the door. “Ah, there it is.”

Gohan peered his head over the crowd to spot the building. The building itself was unremarkable, just simple brickwork with some metal corner supports and a glass door. The awning really was the most stand out feature, as very few of the buildings had one. The fabric used for it appeared to be non-leather, possibly cotton, but very thick. The craftsmanship on it gave away that it was handmade and not mass-produced like the ones on Earth.

Raditz gestured without a word, and they both strode into the building. The chiming of a bell was heard upon entry, though the store was fairly quiet. Gohan couldn’t help but stare in awe at some of the pieces on display. All sorts of alien clothing laid out before him; everything from robes and dresses to the familiar shape of the Frieza Force’s armor hung neatly on holding racks. A few mannequins were dressed in some of the more elaborate pieces, including a surprisingly familiar Earth-inspired garment.

“A...wedding dress??” Gohan blurted out in shock.

“Is that what that it? I was kinda curious. Looks like something a foreign princess would wear.” Raditz mused, cocking his head at the white dress.

“Do...do people get married in Hell?” Gohan couldn’t help but be dumbfounded at the very idea. Even more so when his uncle merely shrugged and let out a noise that expressed his unknowing.

‘I wonder what it’s be like to marry someone in Hell. The blood fountain would make for an interesting background...’

The clacking of what sounded like thick heels alerted the two Saiyans to the approaching figure. Both looked up to see a blue-skinned male with long green hair holding a small bundle of cloth in one of his hands and a spool of microscopic thread in the other. Gohan’s eyes widen at the sight of the humanoid alien, knowing his face.

“Hey there Zarbon. Got a customer for ya.” Raditz said casually, clearing knowing the man fairly well.

“Oh, Raditz!” Zarbon looked at the Saiyan in surprise. “It’s been awhile. You’ll have to pardon me for a moment, I need to finish sewing the lining on that vest. I’ll be with you shortly!”

Gohan watched as Zarbon quickly shuffled over to the vest in question, the nearly finished garment hung delicately on a small hanger. Watching the man work rapidly, he was more then a little stunned. This was clearly not the same man who was once one of the top lieutenants of the Frieza Force, that’s for certain. While he still carried himself with an aura of arrogance like he vaguely remembered, he seemed far less hostile and needlessly cruel when he had watched him overseeing the genocide of the Namekians as a child.

‘It really makes me wonder if that Soul Scrubbing thing actually works. Everyone I’ve met that I’ve seen in life seems so much nicer then they were.’

“Well then,” Zarbon pipped up as he sewed up the last of the lining into the vest at an inhuman speed. “It seems I have a new patron to take care of today.”

Zarbon stood up and approached the duo, Raditz stepping back and allowing the man to look over his nephew. Gohan felt slightly uncomfortable at the scrutinizing gaze the other was giving him, looking over his form with a calculating stare.

“Hm, I’m guessing he’s not after something special. A simple outfit…” Zarbon trailed off, looking down as he pondered further. “New shoes as well. The wear on those look rather severe.”

“He needs something casual, but good enough to work in.” Raditz commented, taking the cloak from Gohan’s shoulders to reveal the garish gi. “Preferably not orange.”

“Nghh..” Zarbon scrunched his nose in distaste. “You poor thing. Such a tacky outfit to die in. Humans usually have so much better standards of fashion than this, but I’ll assume this was a uniform and not something you chose.”

“Uhh...” Gohan couldn’t help but feel mildly offended, if only on his father’s behalf. The gi wasn’t that bad an outfit, if a little stand out as far as color choice. He did preferred the one that Piccolo poofed onto him when training, but that was beside the point.

“Hmm…” Zarbon tapped his chin in thought. “Actually, I may have something in your size, though I may need to take in the waist on the pants.”

The alien man then turned to a small shelf filled with miscellaneous articles of clothing, most of which looked fairly ordinary, even to human eyes. Gohan blinked and looked at his uncle in awe at the man’s expertise.

“He’s made everything here, hasn’t he?” Gohan breathed out in wonder, genuinely impressed by the man’s talent and dedication to the craft.

“Pretty good, huh? I guess it wasn’t too surprising to any of us in the force. His uniforms always seemed to have more flair to them then anyone else's.” Raditz intoned quietly, watching the other pull out a few clothes from the stack and looking them over. “Hopefully he doesn’t give you something too nice. It’d be a waste to ruin a nice outfit with food stains if you’re gonna be cooking.”

“Yeah.” Gohan nodded in agreement, though from what he was seeing, Zarbon was bringing over some dark colored clothing.

“I believe these might do. Head over there and try them on. If the waist on the pants is too loose, let me know so I can adjust it.” Zarbon handed over a small stack of clothes, consisting of a dark gray long-sleeved shirt and black pants, and waved his hand to the other side of the room.

“Thanks.” Gohan gave a slight bow as he was handed the stack and moved over to the changing room Zarbon had pointed out and closed the door behind him.

He breathed a sigh of relief, though he wasn’t sure as to why. It wasn’t like Zarbon would have recognized him or anything. He had been 5 when they saw each other on Namek, and only very briefly. Maybe he was simply happy to have a moment to himself to decompress.

Pulling apart the stack, the two garments hung from his fingers. They were both sturdy in construction, clearly having been made with labor in mind. Removing the potentially exposing gi at last, and his boots, he pulled on the new outfit and looked at himself in the full length mirror.

The material on the shirt was soft, but hardy; some sort of cotton blend and he could even see tiny micro-ribbons of shimmering material woven into it. It could have been anything, but judging by the coolness and weight of the clothing, it was likely some sort of weaved metal.

‘Fibrous metal? Sounds like something Bulma would come up with for Vegeta’s armor.’

The pants were of similar quality, though much heavier. They felt like a pair of black workman's jeans, thick but light enough to move around comfortably in. The waist was indeed a bit large on him, but could easily be managed with either a few stitches or a belt. The entire ensemble came together rather nicely for a more labor-oriented outfit. He could probably wear it on a workday or a date without anyone batting an eye at him.

Zarbon probably made it that way on purpose, finding fashion to be just as important as utility.

Walking out of the changing room, his gi and boots in hand, he noticed Raditz and Zarbon chit-chatting. Deciding to eavesdrop a bit, he walked up to them quietly.

“So, he’s been acting up again, huh?”

“I’m afraid so. Our esteemed ex-lord seems to be bored and is taking it out on anyone he can get away with.” Zarbon sounded both irritated and mildly frightened by the situation. “He’s been very demanding of me and has me making him some outfits I know he won’t wear.”

“Probably wants to use them as an excuse to bully you. Claim you gave him shoddy work or something.” Raditz nodded, a somber tone in his voice. “I don’t see why Cold doesn’t just cut him off. At least Cooler has been helpful with the city, if only to get back in his good graces again.”

“I suppose family matters more to him. At least he punishes him when he goes too far in his harassment.” Zarbon sighed.

“Think you’ll be alright?” Raditz looked concerned, but didn’t bring his eyes to meet Zarbon’s.

“He won’t burn down the shop again, Cold made it clear the last time that it was a step too far. But I’ll probably have more then a few bruises the next time you see me.”

Gohan frowned at that, feeling bad for Zarbon in that moment. He had a feeling about who they were talking about, though he knew there wasn’t anything he could do. He would expose himself if he tried to step in. It made his inner hero want to burst out and stop all the pain and misery caused by this individual. Making his footsteps a bit louder on approach, he waved at the two as they turned around to notice him.

“Oh hey, looks good kiddo!” Raditz smirked with an approving nod. “Hopefully it doesn’t stain very easily.”

“Hm, looks like I was right about the waist, though.” Zarbon tilted his head. He pulled out a bit of thread, a measuring tape and some pins. “Give me just a moment..”

Gohan blinked as the alien quickly measured and cinched the waist with the pins, marking some sewing points. He blinked, looking up at Raditz.

“So, uh, what should I cook at the bar?”

“Heh.” Raditz laughed at his awkwardness. “Just stuff that will go good with alcohol. Simple, easy to prep and make foods. Nobody going to the bar is looking for a gourmet meal.”

“Young man.” Zarbon interrupted. “I’ll need to cut and stitch these. Remove them for me.”

“Sure…” Gohan said with a nervous voice, blushing as he stripped the pants off him, leaving him in a pair of boxers. Thankfully they were clean and undamaged, though they were patterned with stylized cicadas buzzing about and cartoonish text indicating their chirping. Raditz snickered at the sight and Zarbon hid a small smirk, which made the teen huff. “I like bugs, okay?”

“Clearly.” Zarbon drawled, taking the pants and walking towards the back once more, firing one more comment as the door shuttered behind him. “He should meet Dr. Gero. They’d get along well.”

“You know, I don't think I would.” Gohan quietly muttered, still irritated by the teasing.

“Yeah, fair to say the guy isn’t very friendly on the best days. Not to mention the personal history that might come up.” Raditz nodded. “Anyways, Zarbon said the shoes will have to wait since he’s low on leather right now. You’ll need to keep the old ones.”

“That’s fine.” Gohan shrugged. “They’re not too damaged, so they’ll do for now.”

“Right, we’ll come back late-”

Raditz was cut off by the sound of the shop bell ringing, turning his head to see who was coming in. Gohan quickly pulled on his old pants to avoid the potential awkwardness of being pantsless in front of a stranger. The new person came in with a pair of massive boxes stacked in his arms. He wore a Frieza Force uniform and Gohan suddenly had a very bad feeling overcome him.

“G’day Zarbon, I got the threads you wan’ed! Reckon you give me a hand?”

A head popped out from behind the stack, revealing a bright red face surrounded by a fluffy white mane of hair. The cheery smile that had been on it slowly dropped as the human-like man looked at the two Saiyans in confusion.

“Oh ‘ey mates, you seen Zarbon…?” Questioned the red-skinned man, though his sentence dropped as he locked eyes with Gohan.

They stared at each other, dawning recognizance on both of their faces. While Gohan looked in shocked surprise at the familiar man, remembering him from when he had fought the team he belonged to, the other’s features blanched in growing horror. The boxes dropped from his hands.

“Y-you...you killed them…” He stuttered, before his eyes narrowed in a slow draw of rage and hatred.

“W-what?” Gohan blurted out, confused by the accusation.

“I’d kno’ those eyes anyw’ere, you bloody cunt! You killed my friends!”