"All right, class!" Miss Canvaas clapped her hands together, "You're three months into your long-term projects, so now's an excellent time for a bit of critique! You'll be partnering off for the next two weeks. During this time, you will look over each other's' projects, examining them for strengths and weaknesses. Remember, this is an exercise in both giving and receiving critique! If you see a way you think your partner's project could be stronger, say it! If your partner's piece could be stronger in some way, listen to them and consider what they've said, rather than dismissing it out of hand! I'll be reading off your partners now."

Goten groaned, but sat back from his painting of Mt. Paotzu. The purpose of this class was to do a series of projects throughout the year that fell under an over-arching theme. Goten had decided to challenge himself in theme and medium – a series of watercolours exemplifying 'home away from the house.' While part of him was enjoying it, another was wondering why he had thought tackling watercolours again had been a good idea-

"Son Goten and Daikon."

Goten's head snapped up as his name was called, then he groaned internally. He knew about half the people in his art class, but not this Daikon guy. Great, paired up with a total stranger. Well, no need to look like a total moron- "Hey, Jetta?" he poked the girl who sat next to him, "Do you know who Daikon is?"

Jetta rolled her eyes and tossed a teal braid over one shoulder. "Still don't know who everyone is, bedhead?"

Goten scowled, "Knock off the stupid nickname, it's been years since my hair was that bad and you know it! Do you know who this guy is or don't you?"

"You're boring." She rolled her eyes but gestured to a corner of the room by the windows. "He's over there, the tall guy. Guess it's not surprising you don't know him, he doesn't interact with other people much."

The person indicated did indeed look like he would be quite tall if he stood up, but it was the gawky height of someone whose body was still pushing for more height and had yet to fill out what it had already achieved. His hair was black and pulled back in a severe braid, though its true length was concealed behind his torso. The effect was softened slightly by a light fringe of bangs, held out of the youth's eyes by a blue bandana tied around his forehead. A large set of glasses framed the darkest brown eyes Goten had ever seen, though these were half-hidden beneath Daikon's eyebrows as he frowned in concentration.

He had his easel set up, and was entirely focussed on the small canvas it contained, moving to gently dab some yellow paint on it. Apparently he was so caught up in his project he hadn't heard the announcement. That or he had heard and chose to ignore it. Neither option raised Goten's hopes in regards to this temporary partnership.

Sighing, the demi-saiyan got up and walked over to inform his partner that they were, in fact, partners, not really paying attention to his surroundings. The latter turned out to have been a huge mistake, as he didn't notice the carelessly dropped bookbag until his foot was tangled in a strap and it was sending him careening straight into Daikon and his easel.

The taller teen was certainly aware of him now, Goten thought from his place on the floor. Hell, the entire class was staring at them as the taller teen, in a gentle, almost detached manner, peeled the canvas he was been working on off the front of his own shirt, revealing smears of orange, yellow, black, and peach on what had previously been a pristine blue expanse. Eyeing the canvas critically, he set it gently down and picked up a tube of paint.

"I've been working on that one for a week now," he said conversationally, twisting the cap off the paint tube and carefully beginning to squeeze it into his right hand, "I take my canvases home with me at night to work on, because my project's pretty big, and I won't finish it if I only work on it at school. So I was pretty far along." Depositing the now empty tube of grey paint on the counter next to him, he bent down and lifted up Goten by the front of his shirt to set him on his feet. "That was a lot of work you just ruined. So be glad I'm doing this to you and not your canvases."

So saying, he mushed his handful of paint into Goten's bangs and dragged it down his face, onto his neck, and finally onto the demi-saiyan's bright yellow t-shirt, which he proceeded to use to clean the remainder of the paint off of his hand with.

"Leave that in for the rest of the day and you're forgiven."

With that, he picked up his bookbag, gathered a few tubes of paint, and strode out of the room.

'Wow, his hair's past his hips,' Goten noticed in a vague, shell-shocked way as the paint began to dry on his face, before turning to the front of the class. "Miss Canvaas? Can I trade partners with someone?"

OoOoOoOoOoO

"-and she wouldn't let me." He finished grumpily as Trunks snorted into his milk.

"Hey, you're the one who's always going on about the 'sanctity of another artist's work' and not messing with it," Trunks chuckled, "Sounds to me like you got off lightly, compared to what he could have done- you said he looked toned?"

"Psh, like anyone here could touch us," Goten sulked, "Besides, he's barely got a power level. He'd break his hand on my stomach."

"Careful, chibi – if I didn't know better, I'd say that was me talking just now."

Goten glowered at his friend. "Mom was right – you're a terrible influence on me."

Trunks snorted again. "You're just better at acting innocent. Still can't believe you haven't washed your face off, doesn't that stuff itch?"

"Like crazy, thanks for reminding me," the younger hybrid growled. "And I don't want him going after my canvases – this is a year-long project and it's the only one we have. If I fail it, I fail the course."

Trunks whistled. "So why are you taking it again?"

"Because Miss Canvaas has a lot of influence in artistic circles, and if you do well in this course she will write you a letter of recommendation for art school. And I'm going to get one of those letters!" Goten replied firmly. "And if that means walking around with my face covered in paint for the day, I can take it."

"Heh, spunky little twerp, aren't you?"

Goten spun around only to get hit in the face with a damp cloth. Sputtering, he pulled it away to see Daikon smirking at him, arms folded over his paint-covered shirt, glasses perched on top of his head. The taller boy laughed.

"I'm impressed, you were actually gonna go through with it?"

"Well duh," Goten's tone was cool, "I didn't want you going after my paintings."

Daikon raised an eyebrow. "Seriously? What kind of low-life goes after another artist's work like that? I was just gonna give you a crappy critique. Kami, just wash your face off and I'll see you in class tomorrow." And, hands in his pockets, the tall young man sauntered away across the lunch room, braid swaying behind him.

"Daaaaaayum, you weren't kidding when you said he was tall!" Trunks breathed, staring after him.

"Careful, ojisan, you're gonna get drool on the table," Goten grumbled, wiping at his face with the cloth Daikon had given him.

"Ah, don't worry, Goten, you know I wouldn't stray from you," Trunks smirked at him, "Seriously, though, that guy's like the same height as your dad! And that hair, and did you see his ass? I do not know how I missed a guy like that was attending our school!"

"Ladies and gentlemen, my boyfriend: the pervert."

"Not like that!" Trunks scowled and shoved Goten across the table, "I mean, he's distinctive – he should stand out like a sore thumb. So why haven't we noticed him before? And you were right – he's definitely doing something to keep in shape, but his ki's barely there. That shouldn't be possible, as far as I know!"

"So… you think maybe he's some sort of new enemy or a pre-cursor to one or something?" Goten ignored the shove and scrubbed at a particularly stubborn bit of paint.

"Wouldn't be surprised – it's been eleven years since the last major incident, I'd say we're due."

Having gotten enough paint off to be able to think of other things, Goten turned to his lunch, though he glanced at Trunks. "What does it say about our lives that our first response to some weird new guy is 'potential enemy?'"

Trunks leaned back in his chair and smirked. "Only good things, chibi, only good things."

OoOoOoOoOoO

And so begins our story. As you may be able to guess, we've met my OC. Raditz will show up later, as will the tarot.

Also, for those thinking Daikon over-reacted to his painting being ruined? I read this scene to an artist friend of mine, who does paintings and such and also tends to read much darker fics than I read or write. She found the painting's destruction painful to hear about, and claims Goten got off lightly.