Chiyo was not the kind of child who frightened easily. Strangers didn't scare her, she liked dinosaurs even more than Gohan did, and heights were little more than a challenge to be conquered.

But it was hard to be brave in the darkness - and her room was so dark at night. She didn't like not being able to see. Logically she knew there was nothing bad in her room-but if she couldn't see anything, then how could she be sure?

Chiyo rested her head on her knees and sighed. As heavy as her eyes felt, she wasn't tired enough to sleep. Even if that wasn't enough, she couldn't ignore the sounds of the night, which to hear seemed absurdly loud. Who knew night-time was so noisy?

She froze as a sudden rustling sounded from outside her window. What was that?

"It's nothing," she said in her quietest voice, and hugged her knees tighter. "Just the trees."

There are no trees near the window, said a little voice at the back of her mind.

"The grass, then. It's just the wind. It's nothing," she repeated to herself. "It's nothing."

But what if it was an Android?

The thought made Chiyo quiver, even while she tried to push it away. They wouldn't know where she and Mom and Gohan and Papa lived… would they?

There was another rustle and Chiyo scrambled backwards, clutching the sheets tightly. She watched in wide-eyed terror as a dark shadow fell across her floor.

"GOHAN!" she screamed. "GOHA-A-A-N!"

There was another rustle, and Chiyo's shriek stopped as her throat closed. Then the window opened and a dark head popped into view.

"Chiyo?" Goku said. "What's wrong?"

Chiyo squeaked, "Papa?"

Goku vaulted over the windowsill and landed silently on the floor. In the dim light Chiyo could see his feet were bare.

He padded over to the door and turned on the light. "What's the matter?"

"Papa," Chiyo breathed, and the pressure on her chest eased slightly. "Where's Gohan?"

"Gohan's fast asleep in bed," Goku replied cheerfully. "Just like you should be. We've got a big day tomorrow."

"I thought I heard something," she whispered. "I'm scared."

"What did you hear?"

Chiyo clutched the blankets to her chest. "I don't know… I- I thought...it was a monster..."

As soon as she voiced the thought it sounded silly, but Goku didn't laugh. Instead he took her hand and led her to the window.

"It can be scary in the dark," he said. "But the moon's out, so it's not so bad outside. Want to see?"

"Okay," Chiyo said. Goku picked her up and tucked her in the crook of one arm as he climbed out the window.

"See?" he said once they'd moved away from the house.

Outside it was almost as bright as day. The full moon was big enough to bathe the whole house in an eerie bluish light. Thousands of stars scattered across the dark sky, as far as the eye could see.

"Wooow, Papa. Look at them all!"

"Uh-huh." Goku lifted her higher so she could see more of the sky. "Y'know, my grandpa once told me all the stars in the sky were made from souls."

Chiyo gave him a skeptical look. "Is that true? Even my soul?"

"No, your soul's still here." He poked her gently in the stomach, prompting a giggle. "The souls are from people who have passed on."

Chiyo leaned her head against his arm, and for a moment they watched the sky silently.

"Hey, Papa," she said eventually. "Are we gonna die tomorrow?"

Goku turned to look at her, his expression bewildered. "What? Why do you ask that?"

"Well," Chiyo said. "The Androids sound scary, and Gohan said they're gonna be really strong. So what if we're not strong enough?"

"Don't worry about that." Goku lifted the small hand resting on his collarbone and curled it into a fist. "Not with the way you pack a punch. All you have to do is - pow - and you'll be fine. Okay?"

"Okay," Chiyo said doubtfully. "I don't want to die. It doesn't sound fun."

"You won't," Goku replied, with an edge to his voice that made her stare at him. "Everything will be okay. I won't let anything bad happen to you, or Mom or Gohan."

There was a rustling sound from behind them. Goku pointed to the tree that overshadowed the front door.

"See? I bet that's what you heard. Just the wind."

Chiyo let her muscles relax.

It was somewhat hazy after that. She remembered the cadence of Papa's voice as he spoke to her, and she remembered resting her cheek against his shoulder, fingers curling in his shirt and eyes closed. His voice was comforting, even if the words slipped from her mind as quickly as they reached her ears.

Only when the air warmed around her did she realise they were back in her room, and Papa was tucking her back into bed and turning out the light.

"Night, Papa," she said into her pillow. "Thanks for...for…"

She trailed off into a mumble as sleep overtook her; she missed seeing Goku's amused grin as he shut the bedroom door.