Kakarot watched the pod as it filled up with an unfamiliar blue liquid, covering the monstrous form his son had been forced to take. A mask covered the face of the purple alien body so that he could breathe.

'The liquid in our pods is green.. But this is blue. Maybe its just my imagination but it also kind of looks like the wound is already getting better… Maybe these ones really are somehow better..' He thought hopefully. His wife stood beside him. Her gaze was distant and full of concern. He sighed as he looked at the woman.

"You felt it too Bulma… You know I have to go."

Bulma turned to look at him slightly before nodding. "I understand. You have to make sure.." She trailed off. She couldn't bring herself to admit that the man's rival turned friend was most likely gone.

Kakarot nodded before he turned to leave. As he was exiting the healing chamber, he stopped and glared at the small body of Gohan.

The inhabitant of the child's body had his arms crossed and one leg stuck out behind him as he leaned backwards on the sleek, metallic wall of the ship. He looked up at the man with a frown. "What?"

Kakarot stared at him for several long seconds before saying, "Thank you.. For saving my son." He said carefully.

Ginyu, or rather Gohan's eyes widened. He hadn't expected that.. Kakarot stepped closer and pointed a finger at his underdeveloped, youthful face. "But after this is all said and done, if you ever hurt my family again.. If you ever even so much as look at my son and wife…" Kakarot shook with fury before he huffed and stomped off towards the large metallic sliding doors.

When the doors opened they slid slowly apart with a loud hiss. Kakarot's arm rocketed out at breakneck speed in a punch that struck the part of the door that was sliding to the right, causing the entire ship to lurch and quake.

A foot deep crater was formed on the other side of the door preventing it from sliding fully into the wall. The left side slid seamlessly into the socket. Meanwhile the now damaged right side door continued trying pitifully to open and close, repeatedly hitting the frame with each subsequent attempt.

*bang* *bang* *bang*

Ginyu watched the man leave with wary eyes. 'If I didn't know any better… I'd say he's gotten even stronger, just since our battle. These saiyans truly are dangerous. Just a few years ago it was rare to see a saiyan with a battle power of ten thousand but these guys... This one in particular is unlike any I've ever met.' He observed.

Ginyu decided his best bet was to be cautious around Kakarot from here on out. He mistakenly believed the man was soft. He forgot the gentle ones were usually the most fearsome when you hurt the things they love…

He shuddered. Why did the captain have a feeling the balance of power in the universe was about to spiral rapidly out of control…

Roughly the same time, with Vegeta, Turles and Nappa.

When Turles finally awoke he was lying on his back in a huge crater. He blinked rapidly and groaned. Rubbing his head, he slowly sat up.

"Bout damn time you woke up. Filthy fucking traitor." He heard Nappa spit. He looked up quickly, eyes snapping in the direction the voice had originated from. He winced, clutching his head in instant regret. The bright sunlight coupled with his head injuries gave him a crippling migraine.

When he had recovered just a bit, he placed a hand over his eyes and slowly looked up. Standing around him were Vegeta and Nappa.

While the shortest saiyan didn't seem to have taken much damage from the whole ordeal the same could not be said for his bodyguard. Nappa was beaten and broken but his spirits burned brightly.

Turles worked his tongue around in his dry mouth. He frowned. Ever since waking up the man had noticed a persistent, sharp pain just below the small of his back at the base of his spine.

It was as if he had been cut.. or something had been cut off... Suddenly his eyes shot open. "You sons of bitches didn't!? My taaaail!" He cried out in anger and despair.

Nappa huffed. "Ha! If he wanted to, he could have taken your life. I fucking begged him to. But prince Vegeta said every saiyan's life was worth something even scum like you. Not sure I agree but he is my king. You're lucky this is all you get."

Turles looked up at the bald man in fury. "So much for honor you fucking coward! You know you weren't strong enough to beat me so not only did you transform but you made it so I never could again!" He yelled accusingly.

Nappa shrugged. "You're not wrong. Taking your tail isn't the saiyan way regardless of the outcome of a challenge.. but the way you went about things was just plain wrong Turles. You betrayed all of us. And our allies. Worse than that, you were out for blood. You wanted Vegeta dead. Don't bother trying to deny it."

Turles spit angrily at the ground and growled. He honestly couldn't deny the man's counter argument, everything he said was true. At this point he was really just pissed off that he had lost, not really so much how. Nappa's idea had been ingenious, as a warrior he could not deny that. And his aggression towards Vegeta was rather unreasonable..

An unfortunate side effect of withdrawal from the fruits.

He chuckled bitterly and looked back up at the duo. Vegeta's face was a stern frown of disappointment but he held no hostility in his eyes. Nappa, of course, looked downright angry and ready to kill. As he rightfully probably should have.. If he had been in their shoes, Turles certainly wouldn't have trusted himself.

Either way.. He still wasn't entirely himself and he was bitter.

"So now you care about those pitiful insects that Kakarot calls friends? You have gotten soft. Pathetic." He muttered, looking downtroddenly at the ground.

Vegeta shook his head and internally groaned. 'Fucking children.'

"They are a means to an end. Like it or not they are talented and strong, even you can see that. Now come along, both of you." He demanded, turning to look somewhere far off in the distance. "I felt the Namekian's… His power level spiked and then it was gone. We need to meet up with Kakarot. Who will no doubt have sensed it already. He'll be heading that way soon." He concluded, slowly levitating up into the air and then flying casually away.

Battlesight between the Ginyu force and the Earthlings a few minutes later.

The saiyan raised on Earth couldn't stop trembling as he touched gently down in the area where the fight between his team and Ginyu's had broken out. The Earthlings were scattered all around, some barely had a Ki signature at all.. And there was one..

This content has been misappropriated from Royal Road; report any instances of this story if found elsewhere.

In a burst of speed Kakarot dashed over to the charred and bloody body of the lifeless Piccolo. Kakarot bent down, placing a trembling hand over his friend's still form. The man studied the body for several intense moments before closing his eyes and turning away slightly. 'Damn it all..!' He cursed in his mind. 'I will avenge you, Piccolo!' He vowed to himself.

He stood and began to make his way over to his brother to get a better sense of what exactly happened, apart from the obvious.

Raditz stood quickly as his brother approached. The long haired saiyan was covered in the blood of Recoome and the man was shaking like a leaf. The unidentifiable remains of the second strongest Ginyu force member amounted to little more than a blob of flesh at this point.

When Raditz saw his brother he began walking towards him unsteadily, due to the wound still present in his knee.

He looked at Kakarot with far off wild eyes that seemed glassed over. "I.. I was careless.. I.. I got him killed Kakarot! I got him killed! I got him killed, I got him killed!" He grabbed his head and began screaming over and over again in anguish.

The younger saiyan said nothing, his face remaining numb, eyes dull.

He walked calmly over to his hysteric brother and slapped him in the face, causing the older saiyan's eyes to widen in bewildered disbelief. He looked at his younger brother in shock as he held his stinging cheek. "You Goddamn fool." Kakarot whispered.

Tears began to fall freely from his eyes as he grabbed his older brother's shoulders and pulled him in for a hug. Raditz stiffened, caught completely unprepared by the action, but a moment later he relaxed his guard and leaned into the hug.

Tears of his own began to fall as his brother spoke. "Piccolo sacrificed himself because he saw you as one of his friends. He gave his life for all of us." He said hugging his brother tightly.

After a few moments he pulled back, still holding onto his brother's shoulders. He shook him slightly as he looked him in the eyes and said, "This is nobody's fault but that bastard, Frieza's. And we will make him pay…" He promised. Raditz nodded back, a look of determination and fire filling his eyes.

"Right." He sniffled. "Even if it costs us our lives… This madness must end."

He looked up with raised eyebrows as he sensed the approach of three familiar power levels…

A moment later Vegeta, a severely damaged Nappa, and a sour looking Turles landed with resounding thuds.

Vegeta scanned the area until he found Kakarot and his brother standing over the form of the deceased Namekian. He frowned and marched over to the two saiyans. Just as he had gotten within earshot of the saiyans he heard Kakrot mention something about a 'Dragon's balls'... And how they somehow granted.. wishes?

Vegeta's eyes widened almost as much as Raditz's as the long haired saiyan frantically began waving both his arms and shaking his head in warning to his brother. "Stop you fool!.." He warned in a hushed manner.

He wasn't sure if his brother hadn't noticed the prince's approach or just didn't care.

When the younger son of Bardock replied, however, Raditz was convinced it was almost certainly the latter. "It doesn't matter.. Piccolo's life is linked directly to the one who created them.. The dragon balls are useless stones now." He admitted with defeat and slumped shoulders.

"What in the fuck are dragon's balls?" Vegeta barked, quickly clearing the distance between the two groups of saiyans. "Did I hear you say they grant wishes!? I've been all across the universe and I've never heard of nor seen any dragons. Let alone any that can grant wishes with their balls." He mocked, rolling his eyes sarcastically.

Kakarot looked at the man reproachfully. "Dragon. balls." He spoke clearly. "They were wish orbs back on Earth created by Piccolo's other half, Kami. When you gather all seven of them the eternal dragon, Shenron, appears. He'll grant you one wish. Anything you could possibly desire, as long as it's within his power. But you only get one and then they turn to stone for a year. But now that Piccolo and consequently, Kami are dead… they'll be stone forever."

Throughout all of this Vegeta's features had become increasingly belligerent. "What..!?" He seethed through clenched teeth once the man had finished his explanation. "You mean to tell me something like that existed and you neglected to tell me!? How dare you, Kakarot!"

The siayan in question narrowed his eyes at the prince. "Just what would you have done with that wish, Vegeta? What costs were you willing to pay to acquire them?"

The prince cocked his head quizzically as if he didn't comprehend the question. "What do you mean? I would pay any cost, slaughter any ant who got in my way. I would have wished for immortality or perhaps a permanent increase to my power if the first one was 'beyond' the almighty bastard."

Kakarot merely sucked in a breath and shook his head, closing his eyes as he tried to remain calm. This was really not his day and if one more thing went wrong..

He trembled for a few seconds before he finally opened his eyes and plainly said, "That's exactly what I thought. All you think about is yourself, damn it. You may be willing to pay any price but I'm not, I won't allow you to take innocent life. At the very least, not on my home world. What the hell are you thinking?!" The saiyan grew increasingly passionate as he spoke to the point he was yelling at the end.

Vegeta stared incredulously at the man. "You dare-..!" He started but was cut off by the younger saiyan.

"I wasn't finished!" He said sternly, narrowing his eyes. Vegeta bristled but Kakarot continued, heedless of the prince's feelings on the matter. "For one thing.." He began, holding up a finger. "The dragon balls might be able to make you stronger. But there's gonna be one heck of a price and I pity any man who pays it without thinking twice."

"And number two." He said holding up a second finger. "I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that they can grant you eternal life." He revealed to a wide eyed Vegeta

"But are you sure that's what you want?.. The only reason life holds any value or meaning at all is because it doesn't last long. I couldn't imagine a more painful existence than watching everyone I've ever known or loved die while I grow infinitely stronger forever and less relevant to the universe.. No challenges, no family. Sounds like an unimaginable hell to me."

Vegeta crossed his arms and waited for the man to finish his long winded speech. 'Really got this stern father thing down, eh clown?' He knit his eyebrows and remained silent for several seconds before finally saying, "That's the difference between you and I, Kakarot. I'm not weak and burdened by my feelings for others." He said curtly.

At this point Raditz stepped forward to try and end the pointless trade of venomous words. "Look, it's a moot point now! Piccolo is dead. I'm… Frieza is responsible for that. He will pay. We need to get back to the mission." He said confidently. "Let's gather up our friends and get them to the healing chambers…"

Twenty minutes lster, Kakarot and his brother, with the help of a now conscious Krillin, hoisted the Earthlings who were in critical condition onto their shoulders. As the collective group of battle wounded Earthlings and saiyans prepared to depart, Kakarot suddenly stopped them. "Wait you guys! You're going the wrong direction." He said surely.

The group gave him a multitude of funny looks.

"How hard did you hit your head, clown? My ship is back this way. Do you want to save your friends and get off this blasted rock or not?" He huffed. Kakarot looked extremely sheepish and guilty all of a sudden as he looked everywhere but at the prince as he said, "There was one more thing I um.. Forgot to tell you about.." He said, clearly skirting around the true nature of the subject.

"Well?.. Out with it." Vegeta ordered after a few irritating seconds when it didn't seem as if the younger siayan was going to elaborate any further. Kakarot walked up to the man, which looked comical with two of his friends on his shoulders and whispered in the prince's ears.

"..........WHAAAT!???!"

Not long after on Captain Ginyu's ship.

"Let's get one thing straight Ginyu, you son of a bitch, siayan body snatching, pedophile! I'm the captain now! The saiyan prince roared with fury. Veins stuck out of his neck and forehead. Ginyu, in Gohan's body, frowned at the childish accusations.

Although the body snatching part may have been true, he would never in a million more years do something as disgusting as what the prince suggested, and furthermore his mother was a lovely lady,. How dare he refer to her as a female dog?

Though the captain was still in Gohan's body, it was back to it's natural appearance. The possessed boy shook his head and pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration before crossing his arms and glaring. "Not a chance, Vegeta. This is my ship. And I was Frieza's right hand man for almost a decade. I know more about him than anyone, even his father. You need me. Take your entitlement elsewhere, brat." He retorted.

"Ironic coming from you right now!" Vegeta bit back. The two glared at each other with lightning arcing between their eyes and clashing in the middle of the two.

At this point Kakarot stepped in-between the duo, raising his hands in defense. "Wait you guys. There will be time to work out our differences later.. for one thing Ginyu's still in my son's body so you can't hurt him..

Ginyu huffed and stomped away to the opposite side of the command center as Vegeta. "Whatever.. Explain to me again what you were saying about your friend." Ginyu requested. Kakarot recalled Piccolo's death and how, with him the magical wish granting dragon balls would be unusable due to the indirect death of their creator, Kami.

Through all of this, Ginyu's mind had steadily been working through the information he'd heard. "Hold on. Believe it or not this old captain has seen a thing or two in his countless years." He began.

"I've never seen these wish thingies personally but I've heard of legends. People said there was a species that could create these orbs by entering a binding contract between their soul and one of the eternal dragons from the dragon realm." He explained.

"What are you getting at?" Kakarot asked curiously of the man currently in his son's body. Ginyu shifted his weight and put his hand on his chin.

Everyone was gathered around and paying close attention at this point, even Vegeta. "Well.. He was a Namekian, right? Basically I say we go to where the Namekians live. See if they know anything about it." He finished with a shrug.

"What, really? You know where their home world is!?" Kakarot asked, amazed. Ginyu chewed his, or technically Gohan's lip. "Not exactly. But I know it's in the North quadrant, relatively close to where the other saiyans picked you up. Frieza's father said that the Namekians were powerful and possessed techniques that made them dangerous even to his army of saiyans." He revealed.

"You may not know this but in the saiyans' early days of the integration into the army I was the one who gave orders directly to king Vegeta from Frieza's father, Cold. He was the emperor at the time.." Ginyu paused as he took a drink from a canteen.

He burped and wiped his mouth, shaking his long wild hair before continuing. "To that end, there was a large sector I was to never let the saiyans venture across. At least not until our force grew large enough to sustain.. Acceptable losses." He said looking over at Vegeta.

He turned back to Kakarot. "Their homeworld must be around there someplace. Thinking about what they can do, and how there was that species we heard about, I'm willing to bet my life that your little friend or his other half or whatever isn't the only one of that race with the ability to summon the dragons…." He surmised.

Kakarot's eyes brightened for the first time in hours as he rounded on his brother who was a few paces away. "Raditz! He yelled excitedly. "Do you know what this means?" He asked with a closed eye laugh.

Raditz, unfortunately, didn't share his brother's enthusiasm as he looked both at the thoughtful Vegeta and the distrustful looking Turles. He turned and looked at his younger brother with tired frustration, throwing his hands up in the air. "Ughh.. It means our lives just got even more fucking complicated…"

End of chapter 35