Without further ado:

Chapter 14: A Choice.

~With Kagome~

She'd come accustomed to seeing and feeling out one's aura, a talent she had picked up from birth but had only come to master through her meditative training. What she lacked in brute strength, she made up for in tactical strategy and superb ki control.

It was because of these talents she could "see" what was happening outside the ship. Five persons' aura's shined brightly as they went up against the red and black aura of Frieza.

Her attention zeroed in on one particular aura. It's dark cobalt coloring somehow bright at the same time reflecting his inner turmoil.

It wavered several times before vanishing without a trace.

"No!" Her fists met with the floor creating a sizable dent. "VEGETA!" her power flared around her coursing through the ship unintentionally frying the machinery. Tears blurred her vision as she screamed at the ceiling. Her body was flashing brightly in between purple and rose gold. A mix of anger and sadness swam in her veins affecting her powers which swirled around her trembling form like tentacles.

The word 'no' toppled from her mouth repeatedly as her fist and body met with the metal of the door. She had to get out, had to get to him, had to save him.

He needed her.

Again and again, she hit the door. Screaming as she did so. She looked to be a wild beast. Her knuckles bloodied and broken.

No.

The door groaned as it bent at the door frame where it would usually slide into the wall to open.

She needed him.

But all too soon the anger; fueled by her lose, faded to pain. Slumping against the door, she hit it weakly.

"No, Vegeta you can't leave me like this," her eyes closing as fat tears fell to the ground. She slid down the door till she dropped to her knees, shaking her head as she did. "We were so close," it came as a broken whisper as she once again weakly hit at the door.

She hugged herself as she cried, screaming out her pain as she did. And then she began to laugh bitterly, Her nearly black eyes shining brightly with malice.

Frieza had finally done it. He'd killed Vegeta just as he'd promised

She continued to cry silently, her eyes now entirely black.

If it were the last thing she did, she would kill Frieza. He would understand the meaning of pain.

The minutes ticked by terrifyingly slow.

The ship shook violently making Kagome fall and the ship rattle. It continued off and on for several agonizingly long minutes, quickly getting worse as time went on.

There was a fierce battle going on that shook the planet to its core. She could feel the power trembling in the air, even taste it. Whoever was fighting, they were going to take the planet with them.

She banged on the door with all her might while calling out for anyone to help her; to open the door at least. She tried everything possible but to no avail.

'Not now! Not like this! I can't die after everything I've gone through! I need to get stronger!'

"Please someone, anyone help me!" she screamed once more, but even she could feel her hope slipping away. She would die with the planet and its people she couldn't protect just like she should have on planet Vegeta.

"Please," she whispered against the door. "I don't want to die,"

The metal of the door groaned, two hands on the side of the door pulling it backward.

The ship shook again, and Kagome lost her footing, the door opened to reveal a familiar, or seemingly familiar, face. But he looked different, instead of the black hair and dark eyes she'd known him to have his hair stood straight up in a golden hue while he looked at her with sea foam eyes. Bloody smears and fierce colored bruises marked his muscular body made visible from his tattered clothing that looked it would fall off if not for his sash.

"Bardock?" she murmured under her breath, the similarities were uncanny.

He grabbed her, pulling her to him as he raced around at such a speed Kagome had to shield her face from the surprisingly hot wind. She buried her face into the crook of his neck, wrapping her arms tightly around him.

He made it to a large space pod with the door shut he slammed his hands on the buttons. "Come on damn it!" he yelled.

Kagome looked through the window to be welcomed by the terrifying sight of lava. Closing her eyes tightly she held onto the man who'd saved her, at least she wouldn't die alone.

Then there was a surge of power through the space pod, and it jumped in the opposite direction before flying away at an insanely fast pace.

Out the pod window, Kagome saw them break through the atmosphere, a sight she had witnessed countless times thanks to having lived on a spaceship for various years. Were they going to live?

Looking at the pod's control panel it read autopilot, seems it was on a course to Yardrat that was only a few hours away.

Her eyes were drawn to her savior by a sigh turned snore. Now dark cobalt eyes widened at the familiar face, with his black hair, he looked identical to Bardock. Could it be him? Had he survived the explosion on Planet Vegeta?

She shook her head. This man's soul was far different than the soul of her surrogate father. His spirit was so bright; it shines with a purity that she'd never seen; it was beautiful. She knew that she could trust him, knew that he'd protect her and she, in turn, would do all that she could to help him.

Gathering her healing powers in her hands she was going to heal him when an outside force knocked against the ship making her hit her head.

With a gasp, she blacked out.

~Hours Later~

The ship plumbed into the side of a massive rock formation, instead of the ship's equipment bracing for the impact the ship broke causing Kagome and Goku to fall to the ground far below.

Both fell to the ground in a dazed state not realizing what was going on till they hit the ground with Kagome falling atop Goku.

"Oh no," Kagome cried softly with a groan. Rubbing her head, she wearily looked around. She took note of the canyon like scenery formed by massive pillars of lavender rock. The yellow sky above held a single sun that hung over the horizon. Looking up she saw the space pod had struck a pillar and now just sat there smoking.

"Looks like the ships broken," she murmured.

"Wh-where are we?" asked her savior in a weak voice. He tries to get up but fell back with a groan.

"Don't move, you'll agitate your wounds," with glowing blue hands Kagome forced him to be still. Touching him, she saw how badly he'd been hurt; there was internal damage to his organs and numerous broken bones. She could also sense some old brain damage; there was a 50/50 chance she could heal that as well so it wouldn't hurt to try.

He groaned in pain before passing out once more.

Kagome got to work allowing her hands to rest on his chest as she channeled her powers into him. It had been a long time since she'd healed anyone and with the amount of damage he'd taken it would take her at least two sessions to heal everything.

The sound of gravel being kicked made Kagome's spine stiffen, her tail tightening around her waist in response. The click-clack of tongues followed and grew louder.

With gritted teeth, Kagome glared at the small group of pink aliens that were approaching them. Moving, so her body covered the male below her she waited for the aliens to make a move. She would protect him no matter what, she owed him not only her life but her freedom.

"What do you want?" She asked with a snap, her sharp canines made visible in action.

They looked at one another their tongues clinking in what seemed to be their native language. Then one of the aliens looked at her.

"Hello, we didn't mean to frighten you miss, we saw the crash and came to investigate," one said in a higher pitch of a voice.

"Are you and your mate alright? We'd be happy to help,"

Her sweat dropped as she realizes their souls were bright with innocence. These people were kind souls only looking to help. They meant no harm to her or her mysterious savior.

She'd correct them another time on the mating part all that mattered was getting her hero to a safe spot where she could heal him. "He's hurt if you could help me get him somewhere safe,"

They nodded to each other and began carrying him with her right beside him.

~o.O~O.o~

Kagome had finished healing the man some time ago, and since then he'd been sleeping peacefully, so much, so he wore a silly grin as he snored.

Her brow twitched as she rests against the wall. She was exhausted, to say the least. She'd never had to heal someone, other than herself, to such an extent. He'd been wounded and some of the injuries, like the organ damage, required her complete focus. It'd taken her two days without rest to heal him.

And now all she wanted was a bath, some food, and a peaceful night's rest. But his snoring was driving her insane!

But at the same time, it reminded her of the saiyan who'd been like a father to her. The one who taught her to fly and fight, to trust her instincts and that she could be powerful.

'I miss you, Burdock,' looking at the man that looked so much like him Kagome wondered if this could be Kakarot, the boy she never got to know because he'd been sent to earth days after he'd been born.

'Who are you?'

~o.O~O.o~ Two Days Later ~o.O~O.o~

Dark gray eyes lazily began to open.

Goku would have preferred to sleep, even now he tried to burrow back into the blissfulness that was sleep. The loud gurgles of his stomach urged him awake, and reluctantly he listened. Blinking up at the ceiling it took him several tries for his vision to clear only for him to stare up at the unfamiliar orange ceiling. He simply stared at it before he was slammed with recent memories.

Jerking his body into a sitting position he looked around the room frantically for the ship and the girl with the blue eyes.

Sitting across from him in a slouched position supported by the wall behind her. The dark haired girl slept with her head bowed, her black hair acting like a veil only allowing him to see a glimpse of her pale face. From the looks of it, there were dark bags under the eye he could see, and her body twitched. It seems she wasn't sleeping all that great.

A sigh left his lips. He had been genuinely concerned, the last thing he remembered was them falling and her clearly saying "Oh no," But it seems everything was fine.

Moans from his stomach caused him to clinch his stomach. 'Shut up for once,' he urged it, he didn't want to wake her. She looked so tired; she deserved to get some sleep just as he had.

Pushing the thought of food to the side, for the moment at least, Goku crept closer to the girl on his hands and knees. Right in front of her, he got a glimpse of what he could only guess to be a black tail. This had to be that Kagome girl, she apparently was very important to Vegeta.

She whimpered fearfully in her sleep, a tear falling down her cheek.

Goku frowned. He wouldn't be having any of that.

Now next to her balled up form, as gently as he could, with a hand around her back and the other under her knee, he pulled her towards him. Leaning against the wall and his legs crossed, he held the girl to his chest. She immediately curled into him, her whimpers dying down as she burrowed into his large, warm, lap.

A grin pulled at the saiyans lips. That's better. He had done the same thing with Gohan when the boy had trouble sleeping or needed help falling back asleep after a nightmare. It seems it worked for the girl too.

Looking out what could only be equivalent to an oval window, just without the glass. Outside he saw yellow-orange skies and purple rock formations that jetted out of the ground in columns.

They would stay like this for an hour before she began to squirm causing Goku to laugh as she brushed against his sides, unintentionally tickling him as she did.

The sound of his laugh made her freeze and quickly looked at him.

"Well good morning sleepy head," Goku teased with a chuckle while looking down into dark eyes that switched between blue and black.

Her head whipped towards him. "Hi," it came out quickly and more out of reflex. Blinking quickly, she opened and closed her several times as she concentrated on his face. Her eyes narrowed as she did so, her mind still hazy from sleep, her nose even twitched as she was somewhat lost in thought. It was kind of cute.

Finally, she gave him a small closed mouth smile, nothing more than a small upturn of her pink lips. "Hi, my names Kagome. Would your name happen to be Kakarot?" she asked slightly unsure.

He cocked his head to the side; he had been called that before, before meeting Raditz or Vegeta came into his life. The echo of a cooing voice distant in his mind but he chose to ignore it. "I've been called that," he teased with a shrug and goofy grin.

And then a full on smile came to her lips and once black eyes flashed sapphire as tears misted them over.

"O' come on now!" Goku panicked. "Don't cry, please. If you like you can just call me Goku! That's my Earth name!" Tears fell as her smile grew and even a small breathy laugh left her lips. "Please don't cry!" He rushed to wipe away her tear.

Her hand grabbed his holding it to her cheek. "I'm so happy to meet you finally," she laughed as her voice broke.

He froze. "Y-You are?"

"I'm kind of like your sister,"

"S-sister!?" Goku shrieked in surprise.

"Well kind of, your father and mother raised me after mine died when I was a baby,"

"Oh wow I always wanted a sister, Raditz was close, but he was downright evil!"

Her eyes grew wide, no longer holding the black color they had earlier and looked almost hopeful. "You met Raditz?"

Goku looked away with a frown. He hadn't thought much of his brother since they'd died together, but he hadn't thought someone would care for a person that killed without feeling. "I-I'm actually the reason he's dead," he sighed unable to look at her as he scratched the back of his neck. "I-I'm sorry,"

Kagome shook her head fiercely while whipping away any remaining tears. "No don't,"

He looked at her in surprise.

"Raditz was a warrior and to die in battle was something he wanted. If things had been different maybe he wouldn't have become the monster Frieza's army turned him into,"

There was a long pause of silence between the two. Goku had so many questions that were now brewing within his brain. He wanted to know about his family, her, and what it had been like to grow up knowing what you are. Even if he never voiced it, he'd always wondered about his tail and why he had been raised by his grandpa and not by parents. He'd always known he was different and now that he knew he was a saiyan he wanted to know everything he had missed out on. Don't get him wrong he loved Earth and all the people that were his friends only to become like family to him. But a part of him wanted to know about his heritage.

And then there was the girl herself; Kagome. She confused him; the wish should have worked yet she was on that ship about to die if he hadn't suddenly felt the spike of her strange ki.

"What is it?" he looked at her with a raised eyebrow. "If there's something on your mind it's best to talk about it," she warned.

A small chuckle left his lips. Was he really that easy to read? Possibly but he was so curious about this girl, her life, and her connection with Vegeta. When it came down to it, all his answers about her could be answered by one simple question.

"Who are you?"

She blinked at him several times; there was nothing but silence until, in unison, their stomachs voiced their own opinions.

She laughed nervously as she held her stomach, a light shade of pink dusting her nose. "I promise to tell you everything, but can we find something to eat first? I'm starving!"

Again their stomachs echoed the other in loud grumbles making them laugh once more before deciding to explore their new surroundings.

Opening the door, they were welcomed with a mix of sweet and savory. Spices unknown to the both loomed in the air beckoning them to find the source of the enticing smell all the while their stomachs were groaning in agony.

It had been so long since both of them had eaten they were drooling at the mouths. Following Goku, who was following the searing sound of meat the two came upon a balcony that overlooks a large dining hall filled with hundreds of small pink colored aliens. Rows of tables were lined with piles of food none of which either had seen or would doubtable have heard of, but the smell left them hungry. It didn't matter the food as long as they could get some.

A small pink Yadart hurried to meet them. "We are so happy to see the two of you!" the alien looked to Goku "We worried for your health as it has been five days since your mate and you arrived,"

Goku turned to look at Kagome in grave confusion, isn't that how animals make babies? "Mate?"

"I'm sorry but we're not mates, he's my brother," she smiled down.

"Oh I am terribly sorry, but I am happy to see the two of you in good health! My name is Yādoratto, and I welcome you to Planet Yardrat. I can only assume that you both are hungry so help yourselves to whatever you like!"

"Thank you!" Goku beamed before practically disappearing only to reappear before a mound of food already in the process of shoving his face full of food.

Kagome's sweat dropped. She might be hungry too, starving at this point actually, but could he show a little self-control?

After eating and then exploring parts of Yardrat with Yādoratto as their guide. And then eating again, as it was dinner time. The two returned to the room they'd woken up in, a place they were welcome to stay in until the Yardrats could fix their ship. These people were so kind.

They'd even gifted them new clothing, one's Goku was happy to change into after noticing that all he had left of his clothes were his pants and they were barely hanging together.

They'd been kind enough to put a second bed in the room.

Now they were alone again Kagome took a deep breath and divulged the details of her life. Though vague she told him of her being a priestess and her status within saiyan society, and then how his parents had become her own as well. Even pausing to answer questions about Planet Vegeta, and its history.

"What'd Planet Vegeta look like?"

Kagome smiled her eyes glazing over as she described it. "The skies were red and gold and when the sunset burgundy colored the horizon before everything went dark. There was rarely a full moon; I only ever got to see it the one time when I fought alongside your father and our people against Frieza,"

"You fought against him?"

With a nod, Kagome continued. "In the days before the full moon, the Saiyan race created a secret plan of attack against Frieza as he and a majority of his army would be there on the night of the full moon. As I was a noble, I had inherited my father's allies, and it was with their help we convinced the King and then our entire race to turn against Frieza. There are countless saiyans right now that are alive because of our planning,"

"I thought everyone was killed, or that's what Vegeta said,"

Kagome shook her head. "No, we sent off dozens of ships before the attack, all of them with countless numbers of saiyans. I wish they could have seen our fight and knew how hard we fought to protect our planet,"

"How did it start?"

"As soon as the moon rose we transformed and attacked. The moon had been so beautiful, I don't remember much of anything about that night, but when I woke up Bardock had been there caring for me even though he wanted to be fighting," She locked eyes with Goku and grabbed his hand squeezing it. "Bardock did a lot of things in his life that he regretted but he was a good person and an amazing warrior. You look so much like him, I know he would be proud of you for avenging our people,"

Kagome continued on telling him of the rest of that day and her capture followed by the destruction of Planet Vegeta. She lost herself seeming to be unable to stop herself as she divulged some of the torture she'd endured at the hands of Frieza and his men. And then she slowly grew quiet, the blue that had once colored her eyes darkened to resemble storm clouds before going completely black. Her whole body trembled and in her far-off gaze tears grew.

Whatever she's had to go through, Goku silently promised to make sure his new sister would never have to go through that again. He already cared for her, and he would do everything in his power to protect her from this day forth, he would make sure she never had to be alone ever again.

Not wanting her to think of such horrible things Goku wisely decided to change the topic."Can you tell me more about everyone? What was Vegeta like?"

Her eyes grew bright, taking on the pale sapphire coloring they had before. Shaking away the tears with a laugh she again lost herself in memories all of which she welcomely shared.

But it would be some time before she dares speak of the full extent Frieza's tortured. And Goku would learn that some people did deserve to die after all.