The sun was just settling down behind the mountains when she finally found him. She flew silently through the trees undetected and unnoticed, gliding past the branches of pine with ease. Though the sun was setting and it seemed as though all life should be preparing for slumber, the forest had just awakened. Unknown creatures began to stir on the ground and in the air, the pines and rocks and dirt all suddenly coming alive and awake. They wouldn’t come out of the forest’s depths until the moon was bright enough to light their paths, but she knew that in a short while, they would be up and moving. The moon could barely be made out in the sky; she could spot it through the pink haze of the sunset above the mountains. It would be completely black soon, and that small pinpoint of light would become the sun for many creatures. She did not keep her eyes on it but for a split second, and in that split second, she felt a tremor of power surge through her tail and through her body.

Koronu had not transformed in a very long time; such a long time that she had nearly forgotten what it was like. It wasn’t pleasant. Changing into a giant ape could never be something enjoyable, and now that she thought about it and what she had done in the past, it nearly made her sick. She had caused such destruction and death back then. And she hadn’t even cared about the innocent lives that she had crushed; it had all been about her and her thirst for power. A thirst to be recognized a warrior --- a female warrior. It had been wrong and it had been selfish. Those were just a few of the things that she had learned since she came to Earth. Her family and new friends had taught her many things. And although she regretted what she had done before, there was no way to take it all back. She supposed that was her punishment for killing innocents and stealing their land: even after you knew it was terrible, there was nothing you could do to undo it. It all remained burned in your mind.

She knew that this was probably one of the many things that still haunted the Saiya-jin no Ouji. Vejiita kept many things locked up in his soul, and she was sure that guilt was one of them. If she knew nothing else about the Saiya-jin prince, she knew that. There were a lot of things that were probably going on in Vejiita’s heart right now, and she assumed perhaps he had finally realized his guilt. He had committed far more sins that she could ever dream of committing. If she were in his place, she would certainly feel as though she were unfit to be a parent as well. And without the calming, kind influence of his mate around, he was sure to be feeling that way. She had probably been the one that took care of the brats and taught them how to live their lives. If she were Vejiita, she would feel as thought she were too guilty to be able to teach them what they needed in order to grow. It was just one of her many assumptions about the elusive prince. He had left practically as soon as they arrived on Earth and didn’t seem to want anything to do with her. She supposed assumptions were going to be the only thing that she had until he finally opened up to her. And that just might take a lifetime.

She spotted her target suddenly, and slowed down, dropping to her feet. The Namek sat high in the air, his legs crossed and his eyes closed, deep in meditation. He was behind a thick pine tree that must have been there since the creation of the Earth. It was old and gnarled, and his eight foot, green body well. She watched him curiously for a moment; she knew that he knew she was there. Piccolo was not stupid, and he was perhaps one of the most observant warriors she had ever known. He knew that she was here, so it was just a matter of time before he acknowledged her. She sat down at the base of another pine tree, and turned to extract a pine needle from her thick, black mane of hair. She curled her tail around her waist and pulled her legs up to her chest, resting her hands on them lightly as she stared at the Namek.

Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, he nodded and spoke. “Koronu.”

He still had not opened his eyes. Koronu looked at him, then looked over at the cabin that was close by. She had a feeling that the cabin was the reason why Piccolo was here, though she didn’t know exactly what was going on in his mind. She leaned her head back against the bark of the tree. “What is going on? Why are you hiding here?”

“I’m watching the jinzouningen.” He answered her softly. “Juunana-gou.”

She nodded and looked over at the cabin. “Does this have anything to do with what I felt earlier while I was mediating? It felt like a warning or something. Definitely a sign of danger. I thought you might know what it was about.”

Finally, he opened his eyes and floated gently down to the ground. He sat at the base of a tree as well, directly across from her. “Well, I don’t know yet. I’m just watching and waiting.”

“Is he dangerous?”

He gave a smile that was really more of a smirk. She had a feeling that he must have a history with this jinzouningen. They had probably fought before and the android had lost --- that was what she gathered from the prideful look on his face. Piccolo was not one to be arrogant about his victories, but she knew well that it was hard to ignore such a triumph at times. The two of them shared a knowing look, and Koronu shifted her position, curling one leg underneath her.

Piccolo looked over at the cabin again, his expression serious now. “No. Well, not dangerous as far as power. Gokuu or anyone could easily defeat him. But that’s not the thing that we’d have to worry about.”

“What are we worrying about, then?” She inquired. “If he is weak, then there is nothing to be concerned about.”

“The jinzouningen are part of a family.” He explained. “They’ve become a part of the group; Juuhachi-gou is married to Kuririn and they have a daughter. Killing them would be simply, yes. But there are more complicated issues that go along with it. Mainly, her family would be angry if we hurt either one of them. Especially Marron.”

“That’s right --- The small girl with the pigtails.” She mused. “I’d forgotten about her.”

“She’s here.”

“What?”

Piccolo pointed at the cabin. “She is in there with Juunana-gou. She ran here very early in the morning and has been in the cabin ever since. I think she was upset about something, because she appeared to be nearly in tears when he answered the door. I’m not sure what happened, but she has been in there for quite some time now.”

“Should we be worried about that?” Koronu asked.

Piccolo shook his head, uncertain. “Like I said before, I don’t know. I’m just watching and waiting.”

She placed impatient hands on her hips. She wasn’t used to just sitting around and waiting for things to happen. Especially when it appeared that someone could be in danger. She respected Piccolo and his intellect, but she was eager for a real battle and it looked as though she might get one tonight. “Well, while you’re watching and waiting, I’m going to find out what’s happening.”

“No.” Piccolo commanded. “If you can’t wait, then go home. I don’t need you here. And if you go up to that cabin, you’re only going to cause more trouble. I don’t know what’s going on in Juunana-gou’s head right now. If you go in there and start threatening him, the girl might get hurt.”

So he was merely concerned about the girl. And from what she understood, the Namek had trained her grandson when he was just a young boy and the two of them had quiet a special relationship. It didn’t seem very fitting for a Namek to be so enamored with a Saiya-jin brat, but she figured that there must be more to him that she thought before. She turned her head to the side playfully. “You have such a soft spot for brats, Piccolo.”

“Hmph.” He looked embarrassed. “I just know that Kuririn wouldn’t be very happy if his daughter was harmed.”

Koronu crossed her arms and shot another look over at the silent cabin. “Well, we can just stay here and make sure that doesn’t happen.”

Goten and Tayhei sat in the Son House living room, playing a friendly board game. In the kitchen behind them, she could hear the sound of ChiChi making dinner; she could hear something sizzling in a frying pan and knew that there was something sweet and delicious in the oven. The smell that was wafting into the living room was wonderful. Whenever she stayed at his house, waiting for dinner, this was what her and Goten usually did. They simply talked, played cards or a board game. Theirs was not that exciting of a friendship, but it was one that Tayhei enjoyed. Goten may not be the smartest guy in the world, but he was kind and easy to talk to. He had been nice to her since the first time that he saw her and in her mind that counted for a lot. She didn’t even mind sitting here playing this board game with him while she could be out shopping out in the lab working. It was actually quite pleasant and relaxing. Goten was winning this time, but Tayhei didn’t even care. Her mind was somewhere else entirely. Mainly, it was on the fight that she had earlier with Trunks. She still maintained that he had been the one that started it and it was his fault, but she couldn’t help but feel bad about it. Especially when Goten kept making her feel bad about it.

“You know that Trunks has a lot on his mind right now, right?” He said softly, moving his game piece. “He has a lot of stress in his life. Things haven’t been easy for him at all since his mother died.”

She frowned, her brows drawing together. “I know that.”

Goten looked up at her with a gentle smile. He looked very handsome to her then, and she knew that with his pure heart and that sweet smile, he would make an excellent husband someday. Even if he was kind of dull. He waited for her to move her game piece and looked into her eyes. “Maybe you should take it easy on him for awhile. I don’t mind when you make fun of him, Tayhei. Usually it’s actually really funny, but right now I just don’t think the timing is right. He’s already hurting. I don’t want to make it any worse than it already is. With all of the stress that he has right now, I’m afraid that he will snap.”

That would be just fine, except that she wasn’t the only one that was mean. Trunks could get in a few very hurtful remarks as well. It wasn’t merely a one-sided deal. She wasn’t just mean to Trunks; he was mean to her. He was even mean to her sometimes when she didn’t even provoke him! It was as if he were calling up all of the past instances and using them against her all of the time. He didn’t like her; she knew very well that he didn’t like her. And if she was nice to him, it would only allow him to have more power of her. And in the end, he would end up taking advantage of any kindness that she showed him and hurting her. That was the way that it usually worked. She wasn’t stupid and she wasn’t about to let herself be open for that kind of pain.

“How can I be nice to someone who so obviously dislikes me?” She inquired, raising her eyebrows and meeting his eyes. She finally made her move on the board and straightened up, waiting for him to take his turn.

“He doesn’t….not like you.” Goten stumbled, trying to find the right words. He frowned, resting his chin in his hand. He looked thoughtful. “He is just a very prideful, arrogant person. And when someone starts to challenge his ego, it upsets him. It is kind of like Vejiita. I know that he likes my father and probably respects him as well, but because he challenges his strength and power, it makes him mad. Vejiita doesn’t hate him or anything; it’s just that he has never come across anyone that could make him feel so small before. And that’s why Trunks is sometimes mean to you. He just isn’t used to people treating him as though he isn’t the most special guy on Earth.”

“He isn’t the most special guy on Earth.” She argued. She was fully aware of Trunks’s ego. That was partly the reason why she had taken it upon herself to knock him down sometimes. Anyone that was that arrogant needed to get a taste or reality every now and then.

Goten laughed, loud and genuine. “He certainly thinks that he is. It’s probably my fault, too. I’ve adored him and looked up to him ever since we were children. I was the one that let him boss me around and push me into things. Trust me, if he has an ego problem, it isn’t just due to his father’s influence. It has a lot to do with the fact that I am his best friend and I practically worshipped him when we were little.”

He paused for a moment, his expression softening, then continued. “I guess that’s why I’m asking you to go easy on him right now. He’s my best friend, and I just don’t want to see him end up in a mental institute. And with the way that things are going right now, he might just be on his way there. I know you don’t mean anything too terrible by being mischievous and playful around him, but I just think that he needs that kind of thing at the moment.”

She was silent for a long time, thinking. She thought about Trunks and what it might be like if the two of them had started off as friends instead of enemies. She hadn’t meant to cause so much trouble in the first place, and she certainly didn’t want to see him end up in an institution. But she had already begun. She had already started off the wrong way with him and there was no chance of turning back now. Things were the way that they were and there was nothing she could do to change that now. If she tried to be kind to him and let him see the person that she really was, she would only end up getting hurt. And she had already been hurt enough by people. She didn’t want it to ever happen again. But what Goten was saying was true. Perhaps she had to look past her own fears and show a little mercy to the boy.

“I can be nice to him.” Tayhei said finally. “But I’m not going to do this just because you asked me to do it. I’m going to do it because I know that Bra has to suffer through every single stupid little thing that he does. And I don’t want to see that little girl hurt. I’m sure she wouldn’t appreciate seeing her older brother in a mental institute. As much as it pains me to admit this, she loves him. So, I’ll be nicer to Trunks because I don’t want to see Bra get hurt by my actions towards him.”

He flashed her a knowing smile and made his next move on the board. “And maybe because you don’t want to see Trunks in a mental institute either?”