Azumi sat on the ground between the houses looking up at the sky. It was amazing that so much had happened, but everything still seemed so normal there. Nothing had even been harmed from when the Saiyan warriors attacked. It really was like nothing had happened.
She could live like that. She could adjust to the insanity that seemed to be constant out there in the mountains. Go off on epic adventures, fight amazing battles, nearly die, almost destroy the planet, redefine the Earth's surface, then just return home acting like nothing had happened and get ready to do it all again. She could live like that.
But then again, she did miss traveling. Before she had come to stay with the Son family she had gone on so many adventures, even some pretty great ones once she reached Goku and the others. But the later adventures had been short and consisted of nothing but bad memories for Azumi. Could she really stay there when she had a case of wanderlust?
It would be easy to stay and wait for the next big adventure to come along. It was bound to happen with the way events seemed to unfold around the Z Fighters. But it came back to could; could she sit there and wait? If the adventure came soon, possibly; but if it didn't…
Azumi sighed leaning back to stretch out on the grass and watch the clouds roll by. It was peaceful there when nothing was happening. She could content herself with training like Goku and Vegeta. She could force herself to sit there and patiently wait for the next adventure.
Or she could go find it.
There was an idea. Travel the planet again, seeking out fighters of great prowess that could challenge her skills.
She stopped there. No one else on the planet would be able to test her skills except the Z Fighters. So if she left, it would be leaving the planet…again.
Would that count as running away? It was not like she was going to avoid something. It was actually the opposite. So if she left, there should be no reason for the boys to follow after. Eventually she would come back; after all, you always return home.
Goten would not understand, neither would Trunks. They would try to convince her to stay. They would say she could test her skills all she needed to there on Earth. They would do a lot of talking, trying to pinpoint why she felt the need to leave and then attempt to talk her out of it.
Goku would understand. He had understood everything so far, surely he would be able to grasp her desire to go out and test herself. Surely he would get where she was coming from since he would probably do the same thing if he had the chance.
She would not just disappear. She would never want to worry anyone again and she planned on coming back from time to time to see everyone. Maybe that would make leaving easier, knowing she had a home to return too.

"I still don't understand," she had been right, it was difficult to get Goten to see things from her perspective.
"I'm bored just sitting around here."
"Then let's go train. Or we could just go over to Capsule Corp. and hang out with Trunks." She shook her head.
"I'm bored here on Earth," she tried again. "That fight with the Saiyans made me realize that there are lots of people out there. People stronger than us, stronger than maybe even your dad."
"Then you're going to train more?" he asked more than stated.
"Not forever," she smiled, "I'll come back and show you everything I learn."
"Then you're just going to leave again?"
She sat quietly for a minute. Yes, she would just come to go again. "I talked to Bulma the other day, she managed to get most of the Saiyan Space Pods delivered to Capsule Corp. She said it'd be a no brainer to get a phone hooked up in there so I can call back to talk to you."
"Are you sure you have to leave?" she saw the question in his eyes much louder than she heard the quiver in his voice.
"Goten," she was not sure she could keep going with this seeming endless battle of emotional pull, "have you ever just wanted to leave the house to see what you could find?"
"Yeah."
"Well, I—I've seen everything on Earth. I traveled for two years before I made it to Master Roshi's island. Now I want to see more, I want to know what else is out there."
"Then I'll come with you! We can go see whatever's out there together then come home." Again Azumi shook her head.
"You don't want to go with me Goten. You like it here at home; you wouldn't want to traverse the Galaxy."
"I don't want you to go alone," he looked evenly into her eyes. She almost broke there.
"I won't be alone Goten. I was alone before I met you and the others," he looked confused. "I won't be alone because all of you will be with me, wherever I go and whatever I see."
"So, you're just training?"
She wrapped her arms around him in a hug, burying her face in his shirt. She felt his strong arms wrap around her gently. She had grown accustomed to this, the feeling of security she received from being with Goten. She would miss that when she left to train, that and so much more that built the relationship she shared with Goten. "I'll be back. I promise." She felt him hold her a little tighter.

They were all gathered in the back lawn of the Capsule Cooperation, standing around the small one person space pod Azumi would be leaving in. It was a perfect day, sunny with just enough cloud cover rolling through the clear blue sky, it was a perfect spring day; her birthday actually. And Azumi was leaving home.
Pan was hanging on her hand, desperately trying to earn Azumi's attention while she was talking to Goten and Trunks. "Aunt Azumi," Pan begged pulling harder on Azumi's hand.
"As soon as I land on my first planet I'll call and check up on every one," Azumi smiled talking to her two best friends not realizing that she was ignoring the young child.
"You'd better," Trunks flashed a smile jokingly.
"Aunt Azumi."
"You'd better not be gone for too long," Goten continued grinning at the young warrior.
"Aunt Azumi."
"Depending on how things go at my first stop, I plan on coming back in about eighteen months."
"That should be just in time for the World's Martial Arts Tournament."
"Aunt Azumi!" the trio of teenagers finally noticed the three year-old standing in the middle of them. "Why do you have to go away?"
Azumi gather the toddler into her arms, "I just want to see new things."
"But there are lots of things to see at home. You can just see those."
"I heard there are even better things where I'm going," Azumi giving the questioning child a grin as she spoke quietly like what she was say was a secret just between the two them.
That gave Pan pause, she sat quietly thinking about what Azumi had said. Then finally, "like what?"
"They didn't say, but I heard it's worth seeing."
"When you find it, will you bring it home for Pan to see?"
Azumi smiled bringing the child in for a hug, "of course I will," she almost started crying.
"Aunt Azumi, you're crushing Pan," the toddle squirmed to get free of Azumi's grip. The teenagers laughed.
"Well, it's about that time," Azumi turned to watch Goku approach with Chi-Chi. She smiled at them setting Pan on the ground.
"Grandpa. Aunt Azumi's going to find lots of new things to bring home for Pan," Pan exclaimed running up to Goku who took her into his arms.
"She is?" he grinned at his granddaughter.
"Yes, Aunt Azumi told Pan," the toddler explained with pride.
"Do you think she'll show Grandpa too," Goku asked covering the rest of the distance between himself and Azumi.
"No," Pan answered with all seriousness. "Grandpa's already seen everything." The assembled company laughed at the child's blunt statement.
"Azumi," she turned to Chi-Chi as she offered Azumi the package she was carrying. "I hope you'll accept this, to remember us by incase you find something better out there in space."
"You didn't have to get me anything," Azumi shook her head as she accepted the gift.
"We wanted to, go ahead. Open it," Goku beamed over the top of Pan, who had become very interested in the package.
It was a gi, a perfect copy of Goku's attire with "Son" stitched onto the crest on the front and back. There were wrist guards, a weighted shirt and weighted boots identical to Goku's as well. Azumi want to cry, to break down right there in front of them; it was the nicest, most meaningful gift anyone had ever given her.
"So you always remember who taught you first," Goku smiled wrapping her in a one armed hug.
"Thank you," she numbly managed to reply wrapping her free hand around his waist.
Then Chi-Chi hugged her, "having you here is the closest thing I'll ever have to daughter," Azumi could feel Chi-Chi's tears against her face and could not be sure they were all Chi-Chi's; "and you're leaving!"
"I'll be back Chi-Chi, I promise," they pulled apart looking evenly at one another smiling. Chi-Chi was the only woman Azumi considered her mother, she was going to miss her.
Next was Gohan. He wrapped her in a hug and teased her about finally running away from Goten and Trunks. She laughed at the comments, enjoying the moments with the man who had come to be like a brother to her. "Just make sure you come back, alright," he said as she started to move on to another group of people.
"I will Gohan," she smiled. "You just make sure Pan stays out of trouble until I get back to show her how to handle all these muscle brained fighters," she smiled referring to Chi-Chi's favorite description of her husband and his friends. He laughed allowing her to move on.
She did not say anything to Videl, they a silent embrace nearly crying as they pulled apart. The rest of the good-byes were like the one she shared with Videl and Gohan. She joked around with them, hugged them, managed to get a smile out of Vegeta, they teased her for one reason or another, she teased them back and shared a few more laughs as she made her way to Goten and Trunks.
"Remember not to do anything stupid," Trunks wrapped her in a hug as he gave the advice.
"Same to you," she returned embracing him. Trunks released her smiling. "Don't get soft on me either. I'll need some decent fighters around to test my skills on when I get back," she smiled at both of the boys.
"You'd better learn some good techniques, I would this whole trip to be for nothing," Trunks grinned.
"Oh don't worry. I'll learn so many new techniques it'll make your head spin."
"I'll look forward to it." They embraced one last time, then she turned to Goten.
They had sharing good-byes since she had told him her launch date, but this was it; the final fare-well. They smiled awkwardly at one another.
"I guess this it," he dropped his graze to the ground.
"I guess so," it was so difficult and it should not have been. Goten was her training partner, her best friend, her brother. It should have been the easiest thing in the world to talk to him. But at the same time, that was what made it so difficult to say good-bye.
They both opened their mouths to speak but the words stopped short. Finally Azumi tackle-hugged him, sending Goten back a step. After the initial shock of being tackled, Goten wrapped his foster sister in a hug.
"I'm gonna miss you Goten," she whispered into her chest. He squeezed her tighter.
"I'm gonna miss you too," he responded barely audible.
They separated giving each other forced smiles, then Azumi climbed into the space pod calling out her last good-byes as the door closed and sealed her in. Settling down for the long journey ahead of her Azumi set the gift from Goku and Chi-Chi in her lap, opening the box once again; once she was free of the Earth's gravitational pull she made to change into the gi. As she lifted the uniform out of the box a small envelope fell into her lap.
Quickly opening the letter, she started crying.

I think I understand now why you said you needed to leave. As much as I don't want to admit it, you were right. I can't leave the Earth because I actually don't care to test my strength, Gohan says it's because we're only half Saiyan. But you're different Azumi. Mom says dad traveled a lot as a child studying Martial Arts. So when you've learned all you think you'll need to learn, you can come home.

I'll be waiting for you.

"I'll be back Goten," she promised refolding the note and setting it inside the folds of her Earth clothes, gently folding it into the shirt she had taken from Goten one day. Still crying Azumi closed the box and set it inside the small storage space the ship offered then sat back in the seat looking out into the vast Galaxy. "Good-bye every one, until next time," she whispered.