Chapter 10: Family

Kale ran out of the army base with relative ease. The fire alarm had people running as he took outside, the new girl right behind him. He stopped when they were a good distance away and put Megan down.

"Megan, go call Icarus. I bet he'll be close."

"Okay!" Megan ran off just a bit and started calling for the dragon.

"Who's she calling for?" Crystal asked.

"Our ride. We're going to Kami's Lookout. You want to come, or do you want us to let you off somewhere?" he asked, powering up a Ki blast.

"I'll go… maybe I can get home." Kale didn't ask her what she meant as he ran and jumped into the air. He hadn't quite got down the flying technique, but he did know enough to hover.

"Kale, wait just a bit longer… you only have a few more people to wait on."

Is it wise to bring Crystal?

"Any Saiyan is good… we're so few now… I can tell you more when you get to the Lookout."

Kale saw a few stragglers run out, then Kale fire his blast.

"Chaos Action!"

"My mother's technique…"

Kale noted the sadness in Katrin's voice as he blew up the old fort.

Kale landed and the SSJ power left him. He fell to his knees, dizzy and tired. Crystal walked over and loaned him her body to lean on. He gratefully took it and they walked over to Megan, who was running in circles as Icarus came in to land.

"You're full of surprises. First you're a Super Saiyan, and then you have a pet dragon." Crystal said as Kale gently pushed away from her and walked over to the dragon.

Kale was too exhausted to even respond to this new, and slightly odd, Saiyan girl. She was very open and straightforward about everything.

How does she know so much about Saiyans?

Megan climbed up, and then Crystal followed suit.

"Icarus… just go. Far from here… and far from people."

"But what about the Lookout?" Megan asked.

"We'll head there in the morning. Right now I need rest… that fight…"

XxX

Kale's eyes fluttered open to reveal a bright night sky. He sat up, dazed and confused when his memory returned.

I had so much power… so much energy… then it was gone… and that girl… who is she?

Kale looked around. There was a placid lake next to him, and to the other side was a fire. Icarus was sound asleep, and Megan was tucked right next to the dragon.

Kale looked to see the girl from before watching the stars. She hadn't even looked at Kale as he stood.

"Hey, are you feeling better?" her sudden question surprised Kale. He didn't think she had seen him move.

"Yeah… who are you again?" Kale asked.

"I expected you to be confused. Transforming into a Super Saiyan can do that the first time, or so I've heard. I'm Crystal, a Saiyan like you. But… I'm full-blood."

"What? How is that possible? Katrin told me-"

"You've spoken to the Angel?" Crystal lowered her gaze to meet Kale's as she stood up.

"She's my great-grandmother, but first, answer my question."

"Oh, yeah." Crystal gave a smirk-snort as she lowered her gaze, a bit saddened, "Let's say that Prince Vegeta, Kakorot, Raditz, Katrin, and Nappa weren't the only Saiyans to escape Frieza. My ancestors left Planet Vegeta before Frieza took over. My home planet is called Nekk Lia. That's New Life in Saya-jin, our language."

"Yeah… somehow I recognized it." Kale said. He was still tired, and a bit calmer now, so he took a seat next to the fire. Crystal came around to sit near him, but not too close.

"Crystal is a translation too. In Saya-jin I am Yerri."

"I prefer that one." Kale said.

"I heard earth had a moon once. New Life has two, but the Bluntz waves cancel each other out, so you never get the transformation."

"I have no idea what you just said, but I take it you mean the giant ape form, right?" Kale asked.

"That's right, you wouldn't know. You probably just found out you were Saiyan a little bit ago, right?" Crystal asked.

"Yeah, I wish I had known sooner. Maybe things would have been better if I had known."

"It may have been. Growing up as a Saiyan, you're raised as a warrior. You're always on guard… always ready to fight. Girls don't cry… it's weak. But sometimes, I think, a person should be allowed to be weak."

"Yeah, I get that. So uh, I heard Saiyans have class systems?"

"Did, not anymore." Crystal responded.

"How'd you get to earth?" Kale asked.

"It's a long story. My parents were here on a mission, peaceful. They only wanted to see if there were any Saiyans left on earth. We could all go home together. But my parents didn't come back, so I went to find them. And I did. That man, D'rar! Gero killed them." She wasn't sad, instead she was angry. Kale reasoned that she had long since grieved for them, "He was going to kill me and the little one over there when you showed up."

There was silence for a while as Kale watched the fire dance on the rocks. He looked hard, and noticed that he could make the flames rise and fall.

"My great-grandmother was Katrin. I can't remember the whole name, wait a sec-" Kale dug out the book from his bag, "Here. Katrin, daughter of Kanji, son of Rothgar of the Biress Mirna clan. Mirna… aren't those like Ayokii?" Kale asked.

"Yes, but how would you know?"

"There is a zoo in West City that had the only known Ayokii pack. Katie Briefs- that's Katrin's earthling name, brought them here from an alternate universe."

"So the rumors are true. But how do you know?" Crystal asked.

"She wrote a book, and I found it."

"I get it, that's how you know so much about her."

Kale realized just how much he had opened up to Crystal, but it was just so easy. She was like him in so many ways.

"Somehow she has been communicating to me, and she says we have to meet at Kami's Lookout."

"And I take it that is the home of this world's Kami?" Kale nodded, "I want to go with you."

"Fine. I don't know what I will learn there, but one thing's for sure. I want you to take Megan to your home with you."

"Why not both of you?" Crystal asked.

"I don't know… something tells me I'll get more than a meeting with the Kami when I get to the Lookout."

"Kale, is it true that… Prince Vegeta is also related to you?"

"Well, yeah. Katrin married his son, that is, uh… future son. A weird time travel thing, I don't get it."

"Then you must be confused about how Katrin was saved from Planet Vegeta and brought back younger than Goku."

"A bit, yeah."

Crystal laughed. Kale looked her over, she seem rather pretty in the light. Then he realized something.

"How did you know my name?" Crystal stopped laughing.

"That's what Megan called you."

"Oh… duh." Kale looked back up to the sky, "I bet moons make the sky prettier, don't they?"

"Yeah… I hope I can go home. I think I might… like it if you came with me. We could have our own family."

"The one thing I have never had… yet I have always wanted it, really. No one on earth would normally adopt a kid with a tail. They see it as a defect."

"It isn't, Kale. It's our greatest strength. When it is cut off, our power drops and we lose our ability to transform under a full moon. I'm thankful that home has the two moons, because I transformed once… and I didn't like it."

Kale didn't push the subject, he could tell by her tone she was scared thinking back.

"We should go to sleep. We can start fresh in the morning."

Kale rolled over so he was facing away from Crystal. He heard her shift about on the ground as he closed his eyes. He was still tired from the transformation, and sleep was a good friend.