Clashing Convergence

by ROGUEFURY

Three years have passed. All the training in the world cannot help the twin stars navigate the chaos, strife and fallout of the bioengineered threats created by Dr. Gero. The battles lead to clashes that threaten to splinter their bond, but will the twin stars converge against the trials and tribulations? Or will their love erode under the pressure. Sequel to A Twin Star.

11. Disquieting Friction

Well, there's more angst, some resentment, and some strong convos about anger and death in this chapter. But for all the hurt, it'll be repaid with comfort soon, I swear! Also, I reference music a lot throughout the story, so if anyone is curious on what songs inspired the references, let me know if you'd like me to share a list!

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Chapter 11: Disquieting Friction

"Speech" 'Telepathy' Thought

As soon as she was far enough away from the Lookout, she'd skidded in mid air and laced her nails through her scalp in a bout of exasperated ire. The anger she felt was throbbing at her temples and her mind was a tempest of unruly thoughts as she tried to rein herself in. The wind was whipping around her as she closed her eyes and tried to take in a calming breath to quiet her furious mind. She dimly realized she was shaking with anxiety as her thoughts kept hammering over and over on the subject of Piccolo.

—He does not deserve your forgiveness—

Shaking her head at that, she snarled and whipped her backpack over in order to dig into it. Fishing out her new iPod and wired earbuds, she put them on and activated the mp4 player and just blindly played whatever she'd landed on after scrolling her thumb quickly over the touch-based dial. As soon as the music came through the earbuds, she took another sobering breath and closed her eyes, letting the music wash over her and distract her from her warring thoughts until they finally subsided.

Placing the iPod in her jogger's pocket, she zipped up her backpack and flung it over her shoulders again. Exhaling a cleansing breath, she let her eyes focus on the world around her as her mind regained calm and her emotions receded. The staccato of her pulse evened out, and her mind filtered out the cacophony of thoughts, finally. Reaching out with her senses, she honed in on the unique power signatures she'd been debating reaching out to, and once she'd pinged onto each, she now decided on which she should pursue first.

Her mind's eye flashed to the battlefield from days before, and Sofia found herself turning in the direction of the specific power level. Gliding in that direction, she decided she could take the detour from Capsule Corp to help settle her mind on the particular matter that had been tugging on her for attention for a while.

Flying towards the dusky horizon, she blasted off into the clear airspace beyond.

---

The terrain was still battered from the previous airstrike, but the grounds around the ring were intact and lush. The air was growing crisp with the approaching nightfall, and he could already hear the chirp of crickets far off in the distance over the hill from the meadows miles away.

Standing in the ring with his arms crossed, Cell was staring off into a particular spot, wondering yet again why he'd given them the 10 days. He was absolutely bored and didn't feel like going back up to the stratosphere to blow space dust around, nor did he feel inclined to cause havoc. He'd stoked enough fear, for the time being, but he definitely regretted scheduling his tournament so far out. The breeze drafted down from the hills and across his ring, stirring his attention before he actually sensed her presence.

Magenta irises sliding sidelong, Cell hummed with intrigue. "Well, nice to see you survived. I was curious how you'd faired these last few days," the bioengineered Android muttered haughtily.

Sofia was standing at the edge of the ring, admiring one of the oddly shaped pillars. The breeze caused her peplum to flutter upwards and expose her lithe lower back minutely as she glanced upwards on the point of the pillar. "I've been fine," she chimed in an eerie tone, turning to glance at him sideways. She had one earbud out and the other still in one ear, listening to a particular song on low volume as she brushed her fluttering long bang behind her ear. "I gotta say: this ring looks way cooler in person. Very minimalist," she mused as she placed her hands in her jogger pockets and loped along the perimeter of the tiled ring.

Grunting, Cell smirked. "I still owe you for that surprising little stunt you pulled last time. If you beg my forgiveness though, I might let the transgression slide," he declared cockily as he watched her lope from one corner of the ring to the other without crossing too close to where he was standing.

Sofia was still surveying the ring thoughtfully as she stopped and seemed to ponder his comment.

"Was it me?"

Cell's smirk became a perturbed scowl. "What?"

Turning to stare sincerely at him, her narrowed eyes softened with genuine bewilderment when she repeated, "Was it really me? When you got blasted…was it me who did it?"

Cocking a brow ridge suspiciously at her, Cell dropped his arms to his sides and approached her. The clenching metal gear sound of his paces echoed in the valley as he walked over and stopped when he came to loom over her and stare down with a menacing glare. "I'm not in the mood for another of your ruses, girl. You know DAMN WELL you retaliated against my attack, and I'd like to know how you managed the power to do it!" Cell barked down at her, hands on his hips as he stood imposingly over her and prepared to get the answers he wanted one way or another.

Sofia stared up at him through her long, dark lashes, disarming him when she placed the palm of her hand flat against his chest, over the black central chestplate of his armor-like pectorals. Staring down incredulously at her hand before focusing on her crimson eyes, Cell was flummoxed for a split second, allowing her to close her eyes and focus on her muddled recollection of the end of their battle. She used her psychic abilities to reconstruct the events of the battle from Cell's point of view, and saw herself, bloodied and seething with power, at the moment she unleashed her attack. Opening her eyes, she blinked up at him, but kept her hand on the Android's chest as she mused, "Oh, yeah—that definitely was me. I don't remember all that though."

Recoiling now from the odd woman, Cell grabbed her wrist and squeezed, his grip like a vice. "What would possess you to think you could put your hands on me—?!" he balefully grumbled before Sofia managed some kind of maneuver to slip her wrist out of his grip to instead tactically grab his forearm and swing herself up and onto his shoulders. Sitting on him like a perch and pinning her feet along his sides – tucked under his armpits, she leaned to peer at him upside down, and stared openly into his eyes.

"I'm not trying to start a fight with you, Cell. At least not right now," she murmured pensively at him. "Just consider it me being mystified by your sheer perfection." She phased out and appeared back across from him at the edge of the ring. "After all, in the heat of the battle, I didn't really get a chance to appreciate it," she mused and shrugged as she reached into her pocket and fished out the iPod, scrolling through it to find another album she was interested in listening to. Blinking at her, Cell realized he hadn't felt so beguiled by her since he'd been semi-perfect. After she hit play and returned the iPod to her pocket, she idly bopped her body in rhythm with the music he couldn't hear and smiled at him. "Look, I'm sorry about the other day. You did try to kill me though, so lets consider it a draw. Cool?" She proposed and flashed him the peace sign.

"…" Cell glared at her, unnerved by how unthreatened she was by him. Eyeing her more sharply, he realized maybe this was just another eerie tactic of hers, and scoffed. "Why the hell did you come here, really?" he demanded, his usually regal tone caustic now.

"I told you: to get a closer look at your perfection and ask you if it was really I who blasted you. I don't remember it at all—might've been some kind of fugue state or something, but hell, I don't see why I wouldn't be able to remember it for myself," she replied simply and loped over closer to him as she added, "Oh, and to tell you I plan on fighting in your tournament. A serious fight too, where you and I go all out without me doing it to stall or distract you from skulking around," she pantomimed his version of skulking and posed goofily, wiggling her black pointed-fingernails at him.

Narrowing his eyes at that, he gave her a cunning smirk as he mused, "You? Fight me seriously. Don't make me laugh."

"Ah, c'mon! Give me some credit," she snickered at him. "I know I'm not Goku, but you can spare a fight with me, can't you?"

Scoffing derisively, Cell crossed his arms confidently. "It's a free tournament. I won't stop you from trying to join in," he chuckled. "But it won't be fun and games, girl. You fight me seriously, or I'll kill all your friends for wasting my time and trying my patience," he hissed dangerously, magenta eyes twinkling at her.

Sofia pursed her lips at him and nodded. "Sure!"

Scowling at her, he grumbled, "You're so goddamned weird."

"I know," she sing sung and did a little twirl before moonwalking towards his side and chiming, "C'mon, you know you were bored just standing here all by yourself."

Pressing his lips together into a thin line, Cell narrowed his gaze pompously at her. "…I shouldn't have allowed a 10-day lead up to the tournament. There's positively nothing to do to kill time. I was being too magnanimous," he grumbled in a dry tone and huffed, crossed arms tightening while he surveyed the area as night was advancing.

"I know! I figured it was for dramatic effect, but I'd be bored to tears just standing around," Sofia chuckled and grinned when he glowered at her. "Hey, if you need to kill time, did you ever consider putting some concession stands over there? Oh! What about doing an opening ceremony?" she envisioned out loud and comically acted out her suggestions for him before pretending to stand in the middle of the ring and pose and wave at the non-existent spectating masses.

"No. It'll be a tournament for warriors, not some silly spectacle," Cell grumbled disdainfully at her, putting on airs that reminded her of Vegeta. "It's bad enough I have idiotic reporters coming around to bother me—"

"Hah. Well then why did you even announce the Cell Games on worldwide TV if you didn't want the media and fanfare?" she asked him, hands on her hips as she playfully rolled her eyes. "You want to battle the greatest fighters around and decimate them for everyone on Earth to see live, right? Can't do that without hyping it up," she platonically reasoned with him as she took her headphone out and tossed it over her shoulder. "But I get it if you're nervous—"

"You know, your psychoanalytical ploy isn't going to work with me anymore. Why not give it a rest and admit why you're really here," Cell rumbled charismatically, dismissing her banter and cutting right to the chase. "You're afraid. Not of me, that you've made abundantly clear, but you are afraid, and you came to face your fears."

Stoically turning towards him, Sofia crossed her arms and raised a delicate brow at him to continue.

"Hmph," he grunted and made a noncommittal gesture with his hands as he mused, "You lost control. That scares the hell out of you, and you're trying to regain control by facing me. Unfortunately, Sofia, whatever made you lose control is still there, waiting for another opportunity to take over…" he drawled in a cunning tone, smirking when she couldn't hold his gaze. "Ah, that's right. It's been there for a while, hasn't it? I first saw it in Gingertown, but you didn't realize it's been there for as long as it has, and that unnerves you…there's only one way to resolve it, you know."

Scoffing now, Sofia gave him a sharp glance as she sardonically lilted, "Oh yeah?"

"Yeah," Cell retorted and smirked more broadly as he extended his hand to her and declared, "Lose control. Let it take over and destroy anything that strikes your fancy. Do whatever you wish, and enjoy every minute of it because your power is beyond needing to be caged. And, do it with someone who is even more perfect and powerful than you, so you'll strive to push your limits to become a formidable force."

Sofia's expression froze in devolved shock and wonder at the audacity of the premise. The breeze compounded the awkward silence as she tried to understand if what she heard was really what he'd just said.

"…Say what now?" she inquired, taken aback as she cocked her head comically at an angle.

"You said so yourself. What's the point of achieving perfection and ruling the universe all alone without the entertainment factor of having someone opposite of you to keep things interesting, remember? I've given it some thought, and don't think your proposition is half bad. It certainly wouldn't be boring," Cell remarked aloofly, his confident tone had a velvety quality to it as he placed one hand on his hip and gestured with his other hand for her to come closer. "And all you'd have to do is let go of your fear."

Sofia stared, completely nonplussed. "When the hell did I ever say all of that—?"

"You're really hung up on semantics. I'm paraphrasing, but the point is still the same. I'm just suggesting that your rationale about my goals would apply to you as well," he deviously husked. "After all, my genetic makeup prominently comprises cells of the likes of Vegeta, Frieza and King Cold. All had wicked ambitions, but weren't able to achieve their goals. Maybe having a partner in crime would be the advantage."

Recovering from her bewilderment, Sofia now shook her head ruefully at his comments. "Now you're just fucking with me," she laughed. "Your psychoanalysis needs work—"

Cell was suddenly in front of her, looming over and into her personal space as he leaned down and muttered, "Does it now?"

Sofia blinked at him. She was genuinely befuddled by the Android. "Is this your way of hitting on me? You HAD been leering at me all funny-like back on that island," she blurted out comically and eyed him suspiciously.

"Ugh, don't be silly!" Cell actually wrinkled his nose at the premise. "I'm just proposing a partnership—"

"It sounds like you're asking me to be your girlfriend—"

"I am doing NO such thing!"

"Ok, if you say so, but you're gonna have to work on your body language, buddy, cuz I'm totally picking up that vibe—"

"UGH! You're so foolishly deluded," he huffed and stalked away from her. "You're hearing what you want to here, girl—!"

"I'm hearing that you're totally into me and want me to be your evil girlfriend in universal domination?" she chirped sarcastically, and gave him a sultry, albeit, faux shocked expression. "Or maybe you're subconsciously projecting that, Celly-welly," she giggled deviously before giving him a beaming, fangy smile when he fumingly glared at her. " C'mon, you can't banter with me and think I won't give it right back! Seems to me my "psychoanalytical ploys" still do work on you," she declared nonchalantly.

Growling, Cell reined in his temper and instead gave her a snooty huff. "Whatever. Say what you want. I saw something no one else has, and it's only a matter of time until you prove me right and lose control again. When you do, I'll be there, and I'll reap the benefits," the self-important Android grumbled resolutely and turned his back to her. "I'll see you in four days. And I won't show you any mercy…" Deciding not to push her luck, Sofia hummed at that and popped her headphone back into her ear, about to lope away from him before taking flight when he added suddenly, "And be sure to wear proper battle attire to my tournament, would you?"

Balking and spinning back on her heel to gape at him, Sofia wailed, "WHAT?! Now YOU'RE giving ME a freaking dress code?! You don't even wear clothes, and you're gonna give me guff about my fly-ass outfit right now?!"

"I'm just telling you that I expect you to take any battle with me serious, and that outfit does anything but that. It's a fight to the death, not a breakdance battle, so try and look presentable—as if your life depends on it, because it does," Cell arrogantly rumbled over his shoulder at her.

"Jeez…this from a guy with just a friggin' codpiece on—"

"Would you get the hell out of here already?!" Cell barked at her, voice echoing loudly in the crisp night air.

"Ugh, fine! Have fun staring into space the next few days," she sardonically quipped before phasing out of sight.

Grunting to himself, Cell re-crossed his arms and narrowed his magenta eyes as he glared ahead after muttering, "It's going to be so much fun killing her…"

---

Tossing his jacket to the side, Goku yawned and scrubbed at his eye with the heel of his hand as he plopped down in front of the fire he'd just finished stoking for the night. The sound of tropical animals trilling in the lush jungle around him distorted the crackling of the flames over the kindling.

Canvas pouch filled with five of the seven dragon balls sitting next to him, he'd decided to call it a night and search for the next magical orb at daybreak.

"Hey Goku—"

"Yiiiiaaaaaaaaah!" Goku leapt to his feet and yelped loudly, startled by the greeting and staring about comically before glancing up and seeing Sofia was floating over his makeshift campsite. "Oh, hey Sofia! You spooked me there for a second," the jovial fighter chuckled and scratched back of his head idly. "How long have you been back?"

Levitating down to stand opposite him, with the fire between them, she smiled meekly. "Eh, not too long…I was actually heading over to Capsule Corp, but wanted to say hi," she remarked. Glancing over at the pouch, she noticed the dragon radar and several of the magical orbs stored away. "Ah, you've made great progress! How was Mercenary Tao?"

"Huh? Oh yeah, he was just as weird as I remembered! It was nice of him to hand over the dragon balls he had. Saved me lots of time," he laughed as he sat back down. "But anyway, how are you? I was surprised you left through that mirror after so long. Did something bad happen?" he inquired, turquoise eyes gleaming from the firelight.

Sighing, Sofia sat in the lotus position as well, picking up a stick to poke at the embers in the fire. "I don't know, I guess I got super overwhelmed by everything and just needed to go somewhere neutral…" she murmured lamely, crimson eyes flashing ruby red at him when she glanced across the fire to hold his gaze. "That sounds weak as hell, doesn't it…?"

Brows knitting together earnestly, Goku retorted, "Nah, it happens. Doesn't hurt to take a time-out and decompress. I just hope you're not letting the others put any pressure on you."

"Hah," she chuckled dryly and diverted her gaze into the fire. "Everyone's tense and freaked out, but it's not unreasonable. Cell's a serious threat and no one's sure about their chances in a showdown against him," she mused. "Hell, so much has gone off the rails from the intended course and sequence, I'm second-guessing stuff too," she muttered and glanced back up at him as she brushed her hair over her shoulders and huffed. "How the hell do you deal with this?! I'm either super anxious, pissed or teeming with impulsive energy! And this shit is normal life for you."

Chuckling in his irreverent way at that, Goku remarked simply, "I just don't see the point in sweating it! We're going to all try our best, and that's all there is to it. Everything always works out in the end, and every opponent that comes along just helps put life into perspective for me. And it's tons of fun getting stronger!" Sofia blinked vacantly at his easygoing rationale, so he smiled as he added, "I'm scared too. If you're not scared, then you're being a real dummy, but you can't let it dictate what you do."

Snorting at that, Sofia tossed the stick she'd been poking the fire with into the flames and grumbled, "I'm more angry than scared…"

Goku focused on her, letting the silence hang for a beat. Sofia figured she'd stumped him. "I'm sorry."

Perplexed, she glanced up at him. "For what?" Her eyes crinkled, genuinely confused.

"I didn't know about what happened the day I got sick with the virus. It wasn't fair for Chi-Chi to take it out on you," the golden-haired fighter frowned, eyes soberly sad as they watched her deflate. "She really didn't mean it, so she's been trying to find a chance to apologize—"

"She doesn't owe me anything." Sofia shook her head. "It's not a big deal, so there's no reason for her to feel bad," she mused in a ruminating tone as she pulled her knees up against her chest so she could fold her arms over them. "I owe you both so much—"

"Sofia," Goku interrupted, his voice uncharacteristically serious, so she glanced into his stern gaze when he continued, "You're our friend. In a lot of ways, you've become like family to me, so don't ever think it's ok to be made to feel bad. You're not responsible for choices I make or don't make. And you definitely shouldn't have been blamed for it. I told Chi-Chi that, so hey, when we go home, you let her apologize and don't be such a badass for once, k?"

Eyes shimmering with unshed tears, Sofia ruefully shook her head to prevent herself from getting too emotional and ludicrously snapped, "I can't do that, Kakarot!"

"Sure you can!" Goku chuckled.

"Ugh…" she huffed comically and pouted as she went back to sitting in the lotus position so she could impetuously cross her arms. "Look…I'm not upset with Chi-Chi, for real. I just…I just think I've worn out my visit after squatting at your house all these years," she muttered before quickly adding, "But don't get me wrong, I've appreciated and loved every minute of it, but really, I just think I need to find my own way for a bit. I was going to stop by tomorrow and tell Chi-Chi too, so maybe that'll smooth things over—"

"Okay."

Sofia paused and glanced suspiciously over at him. His tone had been chipper, but at that lilted tone she'd come to know as Goku's 'I'm going to gloss over this in order to hide something' timber. Glaring at him, she drawled, "What're you hiding?"

"Nothing! I'm cool with you stopping by tomorrow," he goofily chirped and waved his hands exaggeratedly in a dismissive manner.

"You're cool then? No more cajoling me?" She raised a dubious brow at him.

"You wanting to go your own way totally makes sense, so what's there to cajole? I did the same thing when I was a kid, and look how that turned out. No harm in it, and as long as you're feeling better, I'm cool," the Saiyan insisted, smiling beamingly at her.

Grunting, she stood and loomed over the fire and him as she mused, "Alright then…I'm gonna head out. Once you're done finding the dragon balls, head home and I'll sense you out."

"Great! I'll tell Gohan to come down too. We might as well enjoy the next few days before the tournament," Goku remarked and gave her that damnable sweet smile of his, defrosting her suspicions that he was up to something.

"Sounds good, buddy. Later," she replied before floating upwards, securing her earbuds back on and flying up across the night sky, due west.

---

"OH. MY. GOD."

"Y-y-you said these are for us?!"

"Yeah! I figured you guys would get a kick out of seeing the latest tech from my old dimension. I brought some stuff back for Gohan too, but the bulk of it is stuff I thought you'd like," Sofia explained, smiling as she watched Dr. and Bulma Briefs balk at the dozens of devices she'd displayed for them on the doctor's desk. "This is a flat screen TV. Not to be confused with the flat-screen computer monitor, but the tech is the same, I'm sure, when you break it down," she instructed before picking up a smaller, sleekly packaged device. "And this is a smartphone. They're all the rage. But, I think, Bulma, you'll appreciate this laptop even more," she remarked as she handed the smartphone package to a mystified Dr. Briefs to pick up the laptop. "It's got one of the fastest processors ever, tons of memory, and it's pre-loaded with the latest software. I got myself and Gohan one, so this one is all yours!"

Bulma reverently took the package and petted the image of the laptop as she beamed with hearts in her eyes. "This all looks sooooo much more advanced than anything we're working on!" she beamed at Sofia. "THANK YOU! The Research and Development team is gonna FREAK!"

Laughing, Sofia added, "I figure with the instruction manuals alone you'd guys can make a killing, but these are your spec devices, so hope you enjoy them."

"This is all too generous, Sofia, but I'll mightily enjoy tinkering with these!" Dr. Briefs declared as he picked up as much tech as he could carry to his private lab.

The blue-haired heiress whirled around to Sofia. "Do you even know how revolutionary this tech could be for us?! I can't believe you'd part with it," she whispered conspiratorially to her.

"Eh, it's not like I can mass-produce it. I just wanna use it, so why not share so everyone can utilize it here?" Sofia reasoned and smiled.

"So, everyone's still hanging around the Lookout you said?" Bulma inquired as she gingerly placed the laptop box back down on the desk.

"Yeah, for the most part. I told Goku I'd stop by Mt. Paozu tomorrow, so I wanted to stop over with these goodies tonight before I go find somewhere to stay—"

"You're staying upstairs," Bulma resolutely declared, eyes blazing with stern friendship.

"Uhhh, I don't want to impose—"

"Oh for the love of Kami! You're not imposing. We LOVE having guests. Hell, we have plenty of room, so why fight me. You can take the same room you stayed in before, so no more modesty!" Bulma verbally bulldozed and left Sofia sweatdropping and grinning meekly. "You can stay as long as you'd like, got it?"

"Alrighty then," Sofia chimed and saluted her goofily before they both giggled. "So you guys almost finished repairing Sixteen?" she inquired and phased over to the doorway of the area of the lab the giant of an Android was lying prone in, peering in and seeing he was offline.

"Yeah. We're running a backup of his CPU before we initiate the final diagnostics. He has to be online for the diagnostics, so I'm planning to run that sometime tomorrow," Bulma explained before sipping from her coffee mug.

Both women continued to chat as Sofia eventually changed subject back to the tech, and offered to show her how the laptop would work by demoing software on the laptop she was keeping for herself. As the time progressed, she ended up plugging her laptop into the Capsule Corp mainframe and added some of the choice software she figured the lab employees would enjoy and utilize in their daily work. After that, Sofia and Bulma sat next to each other and nerded out about different features the crimson-eyed woman would show her and the heiress would mimic on her own laptop. Plugging in her iPod to charge while she explained to Bulma the amount of media the small, sleek device could hold as she simultaneous clicked through the massive Capsule Corp server and created storage folders for all the media she'd backed up from her laptop.

Before long, both women looked up and yawned almost simultaneous before the blue-haired woman glanced at the watch on her wrist and flinched. "Oh wow! It's going to be 6:15am!"

"Whoa, really? I didn't even realize we'd been plugged in for that long," Sofia blinked goofily. "That's one thing I don't miss from the old days. I'd just zone out in front of a computer and lose all track of time," she muttered as she shut her laptop and stood to stretch.

"Yikes, I gotta go check on Trunks," the now harried woman bolted up and rushed to do just that. Sofia grabbed her charged iPod and followed, only to pause when she made it to the living quarters of the Briefs family and saw Bulma breathing a sigh of relief at finding her mother tending to a fussy baby Trunks in the kitchen. "Thanks for watching him, mom. We totally lost track of time," she exhaled and took the squirming baby into her arms. He began to protest impatiently, fussy for something. "Aww, is baby hungry?"

"He's part-Saiyan, so the answer will always be yes," Sofia chuckled as she walked into the large chef's kitchen and whistled as she looked around. "Whoa, I don't remember this kitchen being this decked out."

"We remodeled it a couple of years ago. Vegeta's appetite justified the upgrades," Mrs. Briefs cheerily replied as Sofia eyed the giant, stainless steel double fridges and admired the 6 burner stove.

"Damn," she mused as she turned and offered her hands to the still fussing baby, who started bouncing in Bulma's arms to be given over. "Hey, buddy! You famished, huh? How about you let me make you some grub, eh?"

When the baby cheered adorably, all three women laughed. Mrs. Briefs and Bulma excused themselves so they could go freshen up for the day while Sofia sat the baby in his highchair as she used her super speed and telekinetic abilities to prep the kitchen and ingredients for her to start cooking up a storm. With one headphone in, she listened to music and bopped along to the beat as she cooked, occasionally dancing over to Trunks to taste test the homemade baby food she was whipping up for him. Every morsel of something sweet would cause him to bounce happily in his chair.

Unbeknownst to her, the kitchen doorway behind her had just been crossed by a grumbling, antisocial being before they paused in mid-pass after smelling the exquisite aromas coming from the food she was preparing. Backpedalling and peering suspiciously into the kitchen, Vegeta shook the exhaustion off and blinked into the large room, realizing neither the woman nor her ditzy mother were the ones doing the cooking. Glancing over at his ecstatic progeny's reaction to her dancing along to whatever she was listening to, the mercurial Saiyan grunted at the sight before his stomach loudly growled from the enticing smells.

Humming to herself as she tended to the stove, Sofia idly spun the spatula in her hand with grace as she slid over to put it down and pick up a knife to chop some vegetables up. Parrying the razor-sharp knife around like a trained assassin, she turned around and froze in mid-spin, locking eyes with the perturbed Saiyan when she did a silly move for Trunks' amusement. Blinking goofily, she distractedly used her telekinetic powers to flip the pan behind her in order to toss the pancakes to cook evenly.

"Well, well, well, look who took my advice and came to chill," she purred goadingly at him before giving him a smug grin, resuming the idle-yet-expertly working of the knife around as she spun it. She eyed him coolly, noting he was in his casual sleeveless blue bodysuit and armor-free, meaning he must've snuck back to Capsule Corp overnight for a fresh outfit. "Want something to eat? I'm making Trunks and I some breakfast~," she tempted and went back to dancing, amusing the little tyke and earning a scowl from Vegeta.

"…what're you making," he guardedly inquired, wanting to stalk off, but his hunger won out over his pride.

Smirking, she balanced he point of the knife on her thumb before tossing it seamlessly backwards to slide back into the wooden block she'd pulled it from previously. Continuing to bop to the song she was listening to, she laid out the next batch of treats onto a serving tray before floating the mini buffet onto the breakfast table. "Sausage, bacon, a large cheese omelet, pancakes, and I was just finishing Trunks' food before I roast some—" when she turned, Vegeta was already sitting at the table and wolfing down food from the tray she'd set onto it. Trunks was now babbling at his father, pouting that he wasn't sharing with him. Sofia stifled her giggles as she sat in front of the baby and showed him the bowl of baby food she'd prepared for him. "Check it, Trunks. I put some banana, a smidge of pineapple and sweet potato in," she remarked to the blue-eyed child as she raised the spoon to his lips and fed him. Squealing happily, the baby slapped the feeding tray in front of him for her to put the bowl down for him. Once she did, he dug into the food with his chubby hands, merrily gobbling every morsel and humming contentedly at her.

Vegeta watched the display, eating greedily. He noted her expertise with a weapon, albeit via flippant display, was something to catalogue for later, as he watched her move around with preternatural skill and a silly sway to her movements. When Sofia served the rest of the food, he handed her the empty serving tray and began to polish off the rest of the plates she'd just set down. He hadn't eaten so good in ages, and it was taking all of his warrior's pride not to hum in equal contentment, just like the babe sitting next to him, who was now watching him admiringly. Huffing, he shot the baby a glare as if to say, 'what're you looking at,' but Trunks simply slapped his tray top excitedly.

"D'aaaaaw!" Sofia fawned from the stove, eyes glittery as she mentally took a snapshot of the adorable moment between begrudging father and precocious son.

"Are you going to be crashing here then, stealth?"

The surly question surprised her, so she grabbed her plate of food and sat across from him. "Maybe for a couple of days. Until I find somewhere permanent—"

"Will you be doing the cooking while you're here?"

Blinking goofily at him, Sofia noticed the usually smug and superior look on his chiseled features was now replaced by a guarded, albeit almost hopeful glare in his eyes.

"Uhhh, sure?" she replied with a silly lilt.

Giving her a measured stare, he grunted in approval. "I like my steaks bloody, don't trim the fat, and make sure to always include something sweet at the end of every meal," he confidently instructed as he stood and reached for the pancakes on her plate, stabbed them with his fork in order to transport them to his empty plate and drowned them in maple syrup.

Sitting back in her chair, Sofia watched him unselfconsciously gobble her meal before she glanced at the baby in the highchair next to her. "He stole my food…"

"You can make more," Vegeta grunted with his mouth full as he piled more bacon onto his plate.

Comically falling backwards in her chair, Sofia quickly hopped to her feet and loomed over the greedy Saiyan. "…I'll make more if you promise not to eat off my plate," she propositioned, crossing her arms imposingly as she stared down at him.

"…I can't make any promises," Vegeta replied simply before shoveling three sausages into his mouth.

"Not even if I make you steaks—PLURAL—and eggs?" she offered with a wily look in her crimson eyes.

"…Maybe…" he drawled, licking syrup from the corner of his mouth. Grunting wryly, she turned and prepped the dish, determined to stuff him full of food until he couldn't eat another bite, not realizing the Saiyan was trying to peer over at the stove and watch her skillful hands work as she seared the steaks she'd just seamlessly seasoned at the counter. While he'd been impressed with her fighting prowess before, he now thought her cooking outmatched it, and wondered if complimenting her would earn him even more delicious food. Trunks babbled over at him, and gave him a stern look he hadn't seen since he'd looked in the mirror that morning, as if to say, 'do it, fool!' Huffing an exhale, he curtly muttered, "Too bad your fighting isn't as good as your cooking."

Turning to give him an odd stare, Sofia chirped, "Was that a compliment?"

"It's a statement of fact, nothing more," he aloofly mused as he reached over to the tray top Trunks had spilled some of his food onto and scooped some up before popping it into his own mouth. "Dammit…even this mush is good."

"Awwwww, Vegetaaaaaa," Sofia genuinely fawned, feeling giddy from the mercurial prince's begrudging compliments. Throwing her arms comically around his shoulders and shaking him ridiculously, she chimed, "Just for being my bestest most badass hungry buddy, I'm going to cook up a storm for you!"

Recoiling and about to blast her away from him, Vegeta paused at the mental image of him surrounded by an infinite amount of food dishes, and a prancing Sofia dancing happily about as he feasted, caused him to reconsider and just admonishingly glare at her intrusiveness. Raising a smug-yet-aloof brow, Vegeta crossed his arms and tensely grunted before grousing haughtily, "Consider it payment for my glorious friendship…"

"Hah! Fine by me. But so you know, if your hand ever comes near my plate of food again, you'll be pulling back a stump," she chimed wickedly, eyes gleaming garnet as she grinned impishly at him before returning to the stove.

Vegeta scoffed at that, but smirked despite himself. "Don't make idle threats. It's unbecoming," he groused wryly in a gruff tone before popping another strip of bacon into his mouth.

Trunks started to babble for his father's attention, petitioning to be picked up out of the highchair. Vegeta aloofly stared at the child, unmoved by the precocious gleam in the babe's blue eyes.

Sofia eyed the exchange before she placed a massive platter laden with steaks and eggs before him. Vegeta's eyes went wide with excitement before returning to the guarded, caustic gaze he'd honed after years of threat and tumult. Before he could dig into the bounty, Sofia stuck a knife swiftly in the middle of the steak he had his eye on, causing Vegeta's expression to twitch before he stared up at her.

"Do I look like I make idle threats?"

Vegeta took pause at the edge her smooth, rhetorical question held compared to the sharp look in her crimson eyes. It wasn't a threat, or even a challenge, but it held a warning that she wasn't bluffing or showing off. Instead of taking umbrage, he was actually mildly impressed by her fearlessness. Baby Trunks cooed in amazement at the interaction, for some reason, earning a smirk from the usually surly Saiyan. "Well now, just look who has a vicious streak in her," he chuckled sitting back in his chair and giving her an appraising once over.

Temper receding, she exhaled through her nose and ruefully shook her head. "I wouldn't call it a streak," she huffed dispassionately, adding as a dry aside, "I just ain't the kind to back down and surrender, no matter if it's over food or a fight, alright?"

Considering the comment, Vegeta found no fault in it. He actually oddly related to the sentiment. "No arguments here," he grunted, almost easygoing as he grabbed the knife and began to hack at the juicy steak before eating it with gusto. "Cook like this, and I'll continue to let your insolence slide."

Snorting at, Sofia figured it was the closest to a thank you as she'd get from the legendary badass, so she picked Trunks up from the highchair and balanced him on her hip as she glibly announced, "Alright, I'll make more pancakes and we can share. Sound good, buddy?"

---

Staring down at the sight, Bulma and Mrs. Briefs were utterly amazed.

"This is the most heartwarming thing I've ever seen," the blonde gushingly whispered, not wanting to stir them, and fawned comically at the sight.

"How the hell did you manage this? He's never slept out here, let alone so peacefully!" Bulma whispered in awe at Sofia before staring back down at the couch.

Vegeta was completely passed out, lying on his back on the comfortable cushions, hands folded over his stomach and legs crossed at the ankles over the armrest while Trunks was fast asleep as well, lying on and snuggling against the Saiyan Prince's muscular chest while he suckled on his little thumb.

Sofia was smirking triumphantly as she raised her smartphone up and soundlessly snapped a picture of the adorable moment. "That's what overfeeding a full-grown Saiyan will do. If he's anything like Goku, he'll be sleeping like a log for hours," she whispered her reply and winked at the other two women. "I kind of cleaned out the fridge, though, so I definitely owe you a grocery run."

"We have a delivery service on speed dial, so don't worry," Bulma whispered as she lovingly gazed down, only dully realizing she was feeling love for son AND father. "Did he actually pick Trunks up?"

"Nah, I strategically placed him to snuggle with dear 'ol dad when he started to doze off," Sofia whispered. She watched as the blue-haired woman seemed to get lost in her thoughts as she stared down at Vegeta, so she elbowed her playfully and wiggled her brows goofily when Bulma glanced wide-eyed at her, startled to have been caught in her staring. "Yo, you tapped that, girl. Please tell me you're gonna tap that fine ass again soon, eh?" she grinned and gave Bulma an approving nod when she blushed harder and Mrs. Briefs stifled a giggle.

Herding Sofia and her mother comically out of the living room, Bulma hissed, "As if I'd put up with his arrogant, self-centered bullshit again, now c'mon and let them sleep."

Undeterred, Sofia persisted as they walked towards the side of the living quarters where the bedrooms were located. "Ah, c'mon! He can be a real prick, but damn don't he have a nice ass," Sofia pantomimed slapping a behind with zeal and gave Bulma a wily grin.

Mrs. Briefs giggled at Sofia's display. "You girls go on ahead. I'm going to check on the husband," she announced before flouncing down a hall and towards the stairs to the lower level.

As they rounded the curb towards the side of the corridor where the guest bedrooms were, Bulma huffed, "It's not as simple as that, you know."

"It never is," Sofia smiled reassuringly before adding, "But love never is."

Bulma's features tightened at that. "Will it ever get easier…?" she glanced at Sofia and the hope-starved gleam in her blue eyes caused her to halt.

Putting her hand in her jogger pocket and turning off the iPod she'd been listening to on a low volume the whole time, Sofia stashed the headphones away in the same pocket as well before turning to give Bulma a sober expression. "Do you remember what I told you the first time we met?"

Pondering, Bulma recollected the deal she'd struck up with her: one answer about her future love life in exchange for storage capsules and 500 zeni. "That I was going to dump Yamcha?"

"And…?" Sofia coaxed. When the heiress simply pouted, Sofia relented. "I said you'd be getting with a sexy ass guy, one of the finest men in history, I think. Anyway," she pulled out her smartphone and showed her the photo she'd snapped. "Was I wrong? He's a rugged, handsome warrior, a prince, brilliant—albeit wicked, but he's determined and fierce, and I'm sure he's a freak in the sheets, and you wooed him," Sofia declared, her gusto for their relationship shining through as she added, "It might not be the love you envisioned, but it's a unique love that with a lot of nurturing and patience, you both will solidify. Just don't give up hope or let him rile you…he's always going to be tough, but there's only one person he'll ever open up to, and that's you."

Bulma's eyes were now glistening with emotion, causing her to smile ruefully. She wiped at a stray tear before it rolled completely down her cheek. "Thanks. I was starting to think I was crazy for feeling the way I do," she murmured.

Sofia melted at that, and found herself internally yearning for her twin star. "Don't mention it. I'm always here for you whenever you need a Vegeta whisperer, haha," she chuckled. They resumed their path towards the guest bedrooms as they chatted idly about things. The room Sofia had stayed in previously was at the end of the hall to the right, next to a large sliding window that looked out on the interior grounds of the massive Capsule Corp campus. Said window was open, and the breeze was stirring the vertical blinds as they came up. "Huh, is that normally open?"

Bulma exhaled dramatically. "No. Vegeta sneaks in through that window when he doesn't want to be detected. Our bedroom balconies are close enough that I can hear the sliding door open and close when he comes back, so he's made it a habit to sneak in this way," she huffed, shaking her head begrudgingly. "Oh, that reminds me!" Bulma announced before tiptoeing to the second door they'd just walked past. Peering in, she sighed in relief before shutting the door again. "Well, both of my sons are asleep…that really sounds weird, huh."

"Oh, Trunks is in there?" Sofia asked, smiling at the thought of the future warrior spending quality time with his family instead of moodily sparring at the Lookout.

"Yep, he's fast asleep. He must be just like Vegeta—staying up for days at a time to train non-stop before crashing," Bulma mused as she shut the window and led Sofia into the bedroom she'd be staying in. "Vegeta could only ever sleep a few hours as it is."

"That's what years of being on a warship or in a space pod will do," Sofia remarked knowingly before pausing and realizing the guest bedroom had been spruced up since she was in it last. Nice, cozy decorative pillows lined the head of the bed, there were candies in a glass bowl on the nightstand, and her backpack was on the bed, waiting for her. The bathroom was also refreshed with fragrant soaps and shampoos and tons of fluffly towels. "Whoa, what's all this for?"

"Mom couldn't pass up the opportunity to warm up the place," Bulma reassured, adding, "Seriously, you can stay however long as you'd like. Even Vegeta won't have a snarky ass comment on the matter, it seems."

Laughing, Sofia thanked her and admired the room after the heiress had excused herself to go check on baby Trunks and return to the lab. Deciding to freshen up, Sofia showered and got ready to keep her promise from the night before. Snapping herself a simple pair of jeans and a black t-shirt with the phrase "METAL | BAND" written obtusely across the bust, she pulled on her sneakers, brushed her hair and grabbed her backpack as she rushed to the balcony. She left the sliding door open as she took flight and ascended into sunny morning, reaching out with her mind and sensing Goku's power level was back home. Plugging her headphones in, she pressed play and went back to listening to music as she flew, finding the practice calming and reassuring. Ever since she'd gotten the iPod, she'd spent every waking moment she could listening to it, relishing the device's library filled with thousands of songs, old and new.

As she flew, her mind couldn't help wander to Piccolo. She wondered if he was still on the Lookout. Having blocked her telepathy with him, she had to rely on sensing his power level. Hmph, he must be cloaking it…

Frowning, she replayed Bulma's comments from before, and found herself relating to the woman's sad-yet-hopeful demeanor towards her volatile relationship with Vegeta. However, the resentment she harbored towards her twin star began to rumble loudly in her recollections. After all, they'd not had a explosive relationship for years now. If anything, they'd been loving and perfect—or at least perfect according to them. Now, she felt like she had to question his intentions. He'd gone out of his way to alienate her, even to suggest she was reckless and only getting in his way.

…He's never even claimed us, after all these years…

The thought hurt her. She was so in her feelings she didn't register how oddly the thought had sounded as it reverberated in her mind.

Snapping out of her resentful stewing, she blasted ki to flood her speed and propel her across the sky before she phased below the clouds to hover over the lush valley below. The Son cottage looked tiny from so far up, and she suddenly missed it. Descending slowly, she eventually landed in the front yard, and found it very quiet. The birds were chirping, but no one seemed to be around.

Suddenly, she spun and caught Gohan before he could tackle her playfully. "Aaargh! Oh c'mon, you sensed me coming?!"

"Of course I did! You're literally wearing a cape, dude. I heard it flap when you rounded the corner," Sofia laughed, putting away her headphones before pulling the shorter fighter into a headlock and adding, "You being in perpetual Super Saiyan mode ain't hiding your power level either, kid." Gohan chuckled at that and pried himself free of her hold before smiling in that winning, cheery way of his. "Oh, so I got some stuff I wanted to give you—"

"Sofia! So nice of you to stop by," Goku suddenly chirped as he burst open the front door and hugged her suddenly. "Awww, it's so great having you home!" Blinking in confusion at the odd behavior, she let Goku pull her into the house before surprising her with the reveal of the 'Welcome Home!' banner that crookedly hung over the kitchen and above the table laden with all her favorite foods and treats. Sushi, dumplings, fried rice and more were delectably waiting for her while Chi-Chi sat happily at the table, albeit a bit tense, as Goku declared, "TA-DA!"

"…" Sofia stared at the display before glancing over at Gohan, who was grinning adorably at her. "What's all this?"

"I got to thinking that maybe you didn't feel like this was home, cuz, well, we've never really set aside a place for you! We trained for three years and not once did we think of getting you set up with your own room," Goku explained as he excitedly rushed over and pulled open a blueprint roll and showed it proudly to her. "See? We're gonna put an addition to the house, and that'll be where you can stay. You'll have your own bed and everything!"

Overwhelmed, Sofia's eyes went wide as she felt conflicting emotions. "Goku," she mused, pausing as she felt a lump in her throat tighten.

"You won't have to go your own way after the tournament, and you can stay officially with us," Gohan chimed, mirroring his excited father's expression as he added, "No more sleeping on the floor or not having your own space—"

"Whoa…whoa, let's pump the breaks," Sofia interjected in a stern tone before glancing at Goku. "We talked about this last night. I'm not going to keep squatting here with you guys."

"Awww, but I really thought about it and don't see why we can't make it work," Goku sincerely mused, arms dropping as he looked over at Chi-Chi.

"Sofia, I'm really sorry. I don't know why it's taken me so long to say it, but I was wrong for getting upset with you," the usually-domineering raven-haired woman rushed over to her and apologized. "I don't want you to think you can't stay here because of what I said. I was just so upset—"

Scowling, Sofia glanced up at Goku again. "I told you I wasn't upset. Why're you trying to force her to say sorry?! She has nothing to be sorry for!" she snapped, stepping towards Goku and poking him pointedly in the chest as she barked, "Why're you making these stupid plans anyway?! You should be focused on the tournament, not worrying about cheering me up or remodeling!"

Blinking at her angry expression, Goku absently replied, "They're not stupid. I thought—"

"This is what you were hiding, wasn't it?" Sofia hissed.

"Maybe—" Goku offered in the same goofy lilting tone as he did the night before, earning Sofia's real ire now.

"What the hell—is this what everyone thinks of me? I'm just some helpless and hapless loser who needs to be taken care of? I didn't ASK you to do ANYTHING! I can take care of myself, and frankly, after all of the crowding and angst and hysteria from everyone, I just want to be ALONE!" Sofia berated, sneering as she added, "I only came here to give Gohan belated birthday gifts."

With that, she turned towards her friend, fished out her capsule case, and pressed the plunger on one before tossing it. Instantly, a pop and plume of smoke revealed all the latest generation devices she'd snagged for him. In the pile were a laptop, a large flat-screen TV, a scientific calculator, and tons of other gadgets and software he could use for his studies.

Kneeling in front of the young fighter, Sofia trained her expression into a stoic mask, but her eyes were still glowing garnet as she mused, "This'll help with your homework, kid. I'll see you in a couple of days, alright?"

Gohan was frowning. "Are you mad at me?"

Shuttering in, Sofia's gaze softened. "No. I'm not and will never be mad at you, Gohan. I just need to go away for a while—"

"You did that already!" Gohan protested, brows furrowing as his turquoise eyes trembled with frustrated anger.

Goku was silent, not knowing what to say while Chi-Chi attempted, "You're our friend, Sofia. We just wanted you to know how much we care—"

"What's going on?"

Everyone paused at the baritone voice that came from the front door. Sofia turned and saw Piccolo filling the space, expression guarded as he exchanged looks with Goku before seeing Sofia's expression darken. Turning away from him, she instead murmured to Gohan, "Look kid. I didn't mean for all this static to happen. I—I'm just not in the right headspace. No one is mad at anyone, and I definitely know and appreciate all of you and your friendships. You've all done so much for me…it's meant the world to me. I just…"

When she faltered to find words, Gohan placed his hand on her shoulder and squeezed it, giving her a reassuring look. "Thanks for the gifts."

Seeing the understanding gleam in his turquoise eyes, Sofia exhaled a shaky breath and chuckled. "You're welcome," she replied softly before going to stand. "I accept your apology, Chi. You didn't need to give it, but I accept," she directed to the other woman, who was frowning still, before addressing Goku next. "I don't like that you just didn't take my word for it. I'm sorry for losing my temper though."

"Don't worry about it," Goku jovially waved off as he comically kicked the rolled up blueprints he'd presented with his foot to slide them under the table self-consciously.

Snickering, she turned and gave them a casual wave over her shoulder as she walked towards the door. "I'll see you guys later," she coolly mused after inhaling a cleansing breath. Piccolo sidestepped to let her pass, but let his gaze linger on her, hoping she would turn and acknowledge him. He wanted badly to say something, but hoped she'd give him some sign, something—anything encouraging at this point. Hell, he would've accepted her reaming him out in front of his old archrival if it meant she'd drop her guard, but instead, he watched as she suddenly phased out of sight.

Scowl deepening, he dimly heard Chi-Chi tell Gohan to put away his gifts before sitting to eat the sprawling lunch she'd whipped up.

"She's really going through something," Goku remarked as he went to stand next to Piccolo, genuinely bewildered. When he glanced over at him and crossed his arms, the Saiyan added, "I should've respected her wishes, but I really thought she was being modest! I didn't want what Chi-Chi said to make her stay away—"

"What're you talking about?" Piccolo grunted and inquired, gaze intensifying on the shorter man.

"Well," Goku lowered his voice as he explained, "Chi-Chi laid into her the day I got sick from the virus. She sorta was upset Sofia didn't stop it from happening—"

"You mean she blamed her for not telling you it'd happen," Piccolo groused in a gruff tone, glowering now. That's why she seemed so distracted and in her feelings that day…

Goku winced, but nodded. "Yeah…she was upset, but that's NO excuse for taking it out on her. I told Chi-Chi so," the fighter crossed his arms and frowned. "I think it really made Sofia feel some kind of way about being around us now, and I just thought if we showed her we really wanted her around and we cared, she'd feel better."

Grunting, Piccolo muttered, "Did she say where'd she was going to stay in the meantime?"

"No, but my guess is she's crashing at Bulma's. She was heading to Capsule Corp last night after we talked, so it only makes sense. They've got TONS of room there and everyone sorta does their own thing, so," Goku shrugged as he dropped his arms to his sides and pouted. "She's really mad, Piccolo. I don't know what made her leave through the mirror the other day, or be in this angry funk, but maybe you can talk to her?"

Piccolo hid his startled reaction quickly, replacing it with a perturbed expression as he eyed Goku with irritation. He wanted to bark at him that he'd been trying to talk to her and she'd shut him out, but knew it would only lead to a barrage of questions, so he instead grumbled, "Has talking to Chi-Chi when she was pissed off ever worked for you?"

"Uhhhh, good point," Goku lamely replied before laughing goofily. "I guess her temper does give Chi-Chi and Bulma a run for their money, huh."

"We have a couple of days until the tournament, so maybe she'll cool off enough before then to be up for talking," Piccolo remarked instead.

"Yeah," Goku replied, adding quickly, "Oh, maybe we could do something before the tournament for everyone to sorta take their mind off stuff! It'd be a good excuse to get her around everybody so she can see we're all cool and want her around."

Giving him a serious look, Piccolo muttered, "Wasn't that what you just tried to do?" and gestured to the crooked banner hanging inside.

"Well, yeah, but technically she got mad cuz I was cajoling her about staying here when she told me not to," Goku scratched the back of his head and laughed nervously.

Piccolo shook his head at him. "If she's at Capsule Corp, get Bulma involved and see if she thinks it's a good idea. She can make the arrangements, and Sofia will be more likely not to feel hassled by it," he reasoned, thinking Goku had the right idea about his twin star seeking people less clingy than the Sons. The Briefs fit the bill.

Which also meant she was around Trunks.

The thought made him irrationally jealous. Goku remarked that it was a good idea and went back inside to get the phone and call his old friend with the plan.

'You do know she only had eyes for you, right?' Nail remarked dryly, feeling his counterpart's jealousy begin to simmer.

Piccolo huffed, not wanting to get into it. Instead, he focused on the one-sided conversation he could hear Goku having.

Bulma was eagerly agreeing with her friend on the other end, spinning in her lab chair and prattling on about how they could have the party in the atrium and how everyone should come by and dress casual and be prepared to dance and be silly to let off some steam. "I think she'd get a kick out of everyone dressing in their coolest outfits and just mingling without worrying about some bad guy for once! I'll set it up, and maybe we can do the day after tomorrow?"

Goku agreed, and asked Bulma to send out the invite to everyone else.

Once she hung up the phone, Bulma rushed upstairs and told her parents about the plan, earning their enthusiastic approval, and her mother set off to make preparations. Her father nodded vigorously as he sipped his coffee and stared at the Saiyan that was still passed out on his couch. "So what happened to him again?" Dr. Briefs asked comically, earning an immediate shush from his daughter.

---

Sofia had snuck back into the headquarters building and had made a beeline for the lower level, still upset and wanting to find some way to rein in her furious energy. Peeking into the private lab space she'd gotten so acquainted with, she realized everyone was still upstairs, so she took advantage and went over to the laptop she'd left on the desk and opened it, quickly typing in a search into the Capsule Corporation directory in order to lookup the location of a certain training space she'd always wanted to checkout. Finding it easily, she smirked and took the laptop with her as she followed the directions down the monolithic hallways. She sensed Vegeta was still upstairs, so once she was in front of the 3rd generation of the Gravity Simulator, she went to the docking station adjacent to it and plugged in her laptop in order to pull up the protocols required in order to gain access into the room. Bulma had mentioned how the previous Gravity Simulator – the one out on the Capsule Corp grounds away from the main building – had been on her list for decommissioning since her father had been able to design a more stable and energy-efficient model and constructed it within the main building.

Doing some application reconfiguring, she managed to get the lab's mainframe to respond to her laptop for commands and guidance. Smirking, she made a few more modifications and left the computer plugged in as she walked over and punched in the passcode into the door's entrance panel. The door opened to her and the room's lights automatically came on to reveal the massive room. "Whoa," Sofia breathed out in awe as she walked in and appraised the space, hearing her voice slightly echo against he thick panels and tiles. The door shut and sealed behind her as she approached the large control panel and simulator screen. Studying all the buttons, she recognized a few and realized it was a fairly simple system. Pressing one button, she activated the hidden TV screen to descend from its hidden perch in the ceiling before it turned on. Clearing her throat, she called out, "Computer: open playlist."

For a moment, nothing occurred, then she saw the screen display her laptop's playlist application. "What would you like to play?" the computer inquired in a sterile tone.

Fist pumping and cheering, Sofia danced goofily around before responding, "Something rocking!"

From upstairs, Dr. Brief's received an alert on his computer screen in the living room. "Huh," the mustachioed scientist hummed before going to check the alert. When he saw that someone had accessed the Gravity Simulator, he did a double take to the couch behind him, where Vegeta was peacefully sleeping before looking back and checking the security cameras.

Meanwhile, Sofia was bopping to music in the acoustically friendly space, snapping her fingers to materialize training gear to replace her casual outfit before she went back to the panel and punched in some numbers. "Alright…let's start off with 20 times gravity then!" she mused, hand looming over the large button that would engage the sequence and alter the gravity in the room.

"Wait!" she heard screech over the intercom system, causing her to dive to the ground. "What in the blazes are you doing in there?!"

Peering upwards, she looked about until she saw the security camera focus down on her. Blinking, Sofia rushed over to it and waved. "Oh, hey, doc! I was just gonna do some training. I read the protocols and know what to do, so don't worry—"

"Did you ask Vegeta's permission to use the simulator?" Dr. Briefs inquired in a harried tone, releasing the intercom button from his lab office and balking at the security feed.

"…I did tell him I'd try out the Gravity Simulator," she innocently replied, smiling beamingly.

"That doesn't answer the question, young lady," Dr. Brief's voice grumbled over the speakers.

"I promise not to break it! I just really need to get a workout in, and didn't want to bother anyone," Sofia cajoled, flailing excitedly. "Pleaaaase?"

Flustered, the scientist slapped his hand over his face and dragged it down as he muttered, "Oh alright…but I won't be the one you have to answer to, you know."

"I know!" Sofia offered the camera the peace sign before rushing back to the panel and dramatically pressing the engage button.

---

"Ahck!" Vegeta startled awake and sat up, confused and staring wildly around, looking for the foe that had pounced on him. Scratch yowled and scampered away after having jumped up to the back of the couch and hopped down onto his chest. Growling, he glared about, finding the living room quiet and vacant. Peering over at the closest clock, he balked, surprised to see he'd slept most of the day away! "Ugh, this damned planet's turned me soft…" he grumbled to himself as he stood and stretched his back. He reached out with his senses, and found everyone was home. Straining his hearing, he could pick up Trunks talking to the ditzy blonde out on the patio. Wanting to avoid any socializing, he made a quick exit to the opposite direction and decided to prowl down to the lower level. He walked past the lab the woman and her father shared for direct course to his Gravity Simulator, figuring he would make up for the snooze-a-thon by getting some 500-times gravity training in before the tournament.

As he approached, he realized the ambient noise of the simulator was humming down the hall. Confused, he stalked down the hall and saw that the caution light was engaged and blinking red, a warning for anyone that the Gravity Simulator was in use. "What the—" he paused before it dawned on him. Getting to the docking station, he saw a laptop plugged in and displaying some sort of list. Reaching over to turn on the security camera feed on the monitor at the docking station, he saw the hazy atmosphere within the chamber. The air was reverberating and the feed showed the eerie red hue inside as he made out the silhouette of someone parrying around the chamber.

Snarling, Vegeta tried to find the intercom button but was so aggravated he impatiently whirled around looking for the damned failsafe panel Dr. Briefs had shown him back when he'd unveiled the upgraded simulator to him.

Sofia was straining to stay centered on her feet, sweat streaming from her hairline as she panted before taking the measured inhalation of breath she needed to fuel her next combo. In a flurry, she was launched across the room into a comb of attack sequences, slashing and jabbing at invisible opponents as she hopped along the reinforced panels and spun gracefully in the air before back flipping across the warm tiled floor. The Rock song blaring and vibrating the air made the 150-times gravity more grueling while keeping her focused on honing her attacks as she spun on her heels and went to hop up and rush back into the sequence. Suddenly, the simulator beeped some kind of warning, ceasing the music as Sofia went from a hop to being propelled by the rebounding stabilization of normal gravity in the chamber to instead bounce against the ceiling comically before ricocheting across the room and crashing face first into the warm tiled floor with a loud thud.

"—Owwwwww…" she lamely wheezed out of her lungs as she remained pancaked to the ground as the simulator's door whirred open.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING IN MY GRAVITY SIMULATOR!?"

The booming yell made Sofia deflate goofily before she slowly pried her face up from the floor to bleary-eyed stare up at the furious Saiyan Prince, woken from his nap.

"I thought this was a dance club? Where am I?" Sofia sarcastically chirped as she slinked across the floor to try and peel herself up to her feet. "Wait, I think I died when I hit the wall on that third bounce," she gasped as she managed to get to her knees before falling backwards to stare exhaustedly to the ceiling. "What the fuck happened?!"

Sweatdropping, Vegeta stomped over and glowered down at her, fists clenched impatiently at his sides. Staring as she panted and smiled maniacally at him, hair strewn wildly about and her formfitting training top and shorts completely sweated through, the surly fighter glanced up at the simulator panel as he groused, "What did you have it set to?"

"I think it was at 150-times gravity, last time I heard—"

Vegeta stepped over her to go see the screen for himself, grunting when indeed, the reading matched what she'd said. Turning to glare at her over his shoulder, he muttered, "Do you have a death wish, or are you just trying to royally piss me off."

"Neither," Sofia huffed as she managed to sit up and stared exhaustedly at him. "Can't a girl get some fucking training in? Motive-free?"

Considering her comment, Vegeta turned and crossed his arms as he leaned against the edge of the panel. "It sounded like hellish chaos was breaking out in here—"

"So it should sound familiar, no?" she shot back as she laboriously got to her feet. "Can't I just rock my face off and not be judged?" she laughed, wavering slightly. Sneering, she pulled her red long sleeved training top off and tossed it down. The garment thudded loudly, as if weighted, when it landed on the tiled floor at her feet. Standing in her black sports bra, she rolled her shoulders and sighed, feeling relief.

Vegeta blinked down at the weighted top. "You use weighted clothing?"

Stretching her arms and standing on her tippy toes, Sofia scoffed, "Of course! I make 'em cuz I like the resistance they give me. "

From the sound the garment made when it thudded to the floor, Vegeta figured it had to be quite a heavy weight, on top of training under the level of gravity she'd been at before he stopped the simulator. Sofia stood in front of him in her black sports bra and shorts, looking unassuming, least of all like an insanely powerful fighter. "Could you make weighted gear for anyone else?"

The tone of the question sounded quirky to her, so she focused her gaze at him, catching the hint of hopefulness shine in his dark eyes at the prospect of being outfitted himself. Smirking, Sofia placed her hands on her hips. "Sure! It's a snap, literally," she remarked and snapped her fingers, materializing a new and fresh workout outfit for herself.

Blinking in impressed wonder, Vegeta grunted and huffed aloofly, "You can train in the simulator as long as you make me my own weighted gear."

Smiling impishly, Sofia clapped her hands together and added, "I can have a standing invite to come and train in here and with you whenever I feel like it, you mean?"

Rolling his eyes, Vegeta grumbled, "No abominable music though—"

"Awwww, c'mon!" Sofia protested.

"How the hell you can listen to that is beyond me, but I don't need the distraction!" he snapped. "How did you get it set up to play in here?"

Wiggling her eyebrows goofily at him, she chimed, "I did some nerdy computer stuff and set it up. Computer: Play the 'Oh hell yeah!' mix!"

Instantly, the sound of an iconic Queen song began to play in the simulator. Vegeta grimaced at first, but as the melody continued, he actually grunted and listened. Sofia smirked and went on to explain all the ideas she had for improving the simulator in the long run as she made Vegeta stand still so she could walk around him and visually take his measurements. Assessing where the added weight would best improve his training, she took his specs for what he wanted the gear to be and how dense the added weight should be.

Wearing a crisscross purple top with contouring black and blue leggings, she stood in front of him and snapped her fingers deftly, triggering the magical fashioning to synch around the mercurial Saiyan's muscular form, instantly replacing his outfit with his new gear. Vegeta felt the weight sculpt to his body and marveled at the garments as he stared down at his arms and weighted boots. The outfit was his classic battle attire, but had denser weaving along his haunches, the inline of his arms, and his shoulders. The armor around his chest was as heavy as a dozen cinder blocks, but still streamlined to his body.

Impressed, he decided to take the new training gear out for a spin, so he engaged the Gravity Simulator and allowed Sofia to spar with in. He actually found the workout taxing now, and they were just at 110-times gravity. Before long, their training became competitive, however. "Alright, whoever taps out first loses! We'll let the gravity increase, and fight until one of us can't handle it anymore," Sofia challenged, smiling as she whipped her sweaty hair back over her shoulders.

"Hah!" Vegeta found her temerity amusing. "You're gonna buckle, stealth. You were huffing and puffing under 150-times gravity!"

"So?! I wasn't sparring before, and I am now," she shot back, cocky. "C'mooooon! You know a workout doesn't hold a candle to a fight. Let's brawl!" she cajoled, crouching down and gesturing with her hands for him to just agree before going into headbanging to the Rock song that was currently playing, while simultaneous playing air guitar.

Her tone and demeanor reminded him of how Nappa would brashly coax and badger him into doing things Vegeta looked down or simply had no interest in. The hulking Saiyan would act more like a giant enforcer—albeit frat buddy, than his distinguished bodyguard. The comparison caused his mind to conjure up a goofy image of Nappa dressed girly and prancing about to music, causing him to grimace and shake the galling thought away.

"What? You don't think I can handle it? C'MON!" She shouted goadingly, her body language hyped up and her expression lively, as if she was spoiling for a real fight.

Glaring at her sharply, he snapped, "You're on!"

From the lab across the way, Bulma stared at the video screen and cringed. "I'm only going to let this go on for 5 more minutes! Watching them is giving me anxiety," she fretted while she bounced baby Trunks in her lap.

"Well, it doesn't seem like any harm is being done, so why not let them get it out of their system?" Dr. Briefs mused, marveling at the screen as he stood over Bulma's shoulder.

"I think I'm going to prep the regen-chambers, just in case," she grumbled in a harried tone, handing a precocious Trunks to her father as she rushed out of the lab.

Giggling adorably, the tyke patted his grandfather on the cheeks while the world-renowned scientist chuckled.

As Bulma went down the hall, she almost ran into grownup Trunks, who caught her before they could collide. "Whoa, where's the fire, mom?"

"Vegeta is overdoing it again, so I'm going to prep the regeneration chambers your grandfather mocked up for such an occasion…" she retorted as she backpedaled down the hall and ran out of sight.

"Huh?!" Trunks rushed down to the lab she'd just come from and found his grandfather struggling with his younger self. "Uh...so what's going on?"

"Ah, Vegeta and Sofia are sparring in the Gravity Simulator—"

"What?!" the long-haired fighter gaped as he rushed to see the video screen his grandfather was trying to peer at while the baby tugged on his lab coat. Sure enough, he saw his father and Sofia sparring in a frenzied speed he could barely register. "How long have they been fighting?!"

"About 20 minutes. The gravity has been ratcheting up every 5 minutes, so they're probably going to have to be dragged out of there before long," the scientist mused.

He watched as Sofia parried a combo Vegeta used to push her back, but when the simulator notched the gravity up, they both wavered on their feet. She fell onto one knee and gritted her teeth while Vegeta spread his weight evenly and remained on his feet. "Just give it up. You're not gonna surpass my stamina—" the Saiyan snapped just before Sofia suddenly speared him and drove him to the ground.

"Oh no—I'm not gonna tap out first!" Sofia haggardly hissed before vaulting over his head and missing a spin kick he'd aimed at her.

The two sparred with gusto, but were quickly beginning to falter as the gravity went up once again. Glancing at the panel, Sofia submerged her shock.

"Go ahead. Hit the button and you're done," Vegeta groused goadingly.

Sofia's knees were shaking, and every muscle was screaming at her to stop. "Oh, blow me! I ain't quitting," she snapped crassly and gave him a vicious smile.

Shaking his head and chuckling, he purred wryly, "Is that what you tell your suitors too?"

"Hah! Nah, I tell them to kiss my ass," she shot back acerbically. "I won't be kissing yours ever though—even if you do have one of the best asses I've seen. I ain't mesmerized and yer definitely ain't gonna intimidate me with your invasive repartee, bub!"

Vegeta actually guffawed at that before rushing her with another grueling combo of punches and that she was managing to block, but did force her on the defensive. When she spun to avoid an uppercut, he countered with a kick that sent her skidding across the chamber before she grappled with the gravity to stay on her feet. Flipping to avoid yet another kick, she countered with her own series of spin kicks before using her momentum to parry gracefully along her hands to flip and roundhouse him into a low kick that swept him off of his feet to crash heavily to the chamber floor. Sofia went to take advantage and spun for a dramatic drop kick when the gravity changed and knocked her off balance and sent her sprawling onto her side to the tiled floor. Wincing, she struggled to get back up against the pressure of the oppressive gravity while Vegeta managed to get to his feet, but struggled to stand straight under the artificial onslaught.

Groaning between clenched teeth, Sofia climbed to a laborious crouch and snarled. "Fuck me!" she hissed as she forcefully stood straight and fell back into her fighting stance.

"You're not my type," Vegeta drawled as a jab, but his smirk was drawn as he fell back into his own stance across from her.

"Good, I'd wear your ass out anyway, just like I'm doing right now!" Sofia shot back.

Giving each other wicked and derisive looks, they both ended up snickering before phasing out and flying towards each other. Just as their fists found their target, the warning sound rang out and the gravity drastically stabilized, causing their momentum to overshoot them right into colliding against each other and bouncing off of each other to slam back-first into the floor.

"Son of a bitch!" Vegeta shouted while Sofia comically flopped and wheezed, goofy spirals in her eyes as she gasped in shocked pain. "What the hell—?!"

"Alright you two, that's ENOUGH sparring for the day!" Bulma declared over the intercom before the door whirred open and revealed the heiress, who was impatiently tapping her foot while baby Trunks babbled sweetly in her arms, mimicking his mother.

"…Did I win?" Sofia exhaled goofily as she sat up and still had spirals in her eyes.

Rolling his eyes, Vegeta scoffed, "The woman sabotaged the fight, so no—it's a draw."

"Oh, ok then," Sofia chirped before flopping back to the floor.

---

"This is so awesome! I can't believe you guys actually developed regeneration chambers. But why are the tanks different?"

"I don't know about you, but the old ones kind of freaked me out. You're just floating in there—what if someone panics while submerged?"

Standing in the cylindrical tank, Sofia watched as the fluid filled all the way up to her neck before the tank began to glow and hum after Bulma activated it. "Good point. Drowning is my worst nightmare," Sofia tensely offered. "Is this what you wanted me to try out the other day when my energy was all out of whack?"

"Yep! I figured it could help rejuvenate you to assist in stabilizing your ki reserves," Bulma replied, smiling congenially.

"This is a complete waste of time," Vegeta huffed as he stood in his tank, adjacent to Sofia's. "I'm nowhere near injured to justify standing in this poor knockoff—"

"Well too bad for you, but we're fresh out of Senzu Beans, so you will spare me the snarky comments and just let the chamber do it's work, got it?!" Bulma snapped, giving him a blazing glare. Sofia whistled and pretended to glance around the lab while Vegeta sputtered indignantly. "Now, both of you just let these do their magic. I'll come back and check on you once the sequence has completed," the blue-haired genius instructed as she confidently left the lab, leaving the two fighters alone.

After a terse silence, Sofia fidgeted in her tank as the liquid began to seep into her skin, creating a tingly sensation that soothed her aching muscles.

"…So is this fluid made up of synthetic Saiyan DNA?" she attempted, glancing over at Vegeta.

"Yes," he grunted, looking annoyed. He was in a pair of blue shorts that contoured to his physique, an irritating necessity since the regeneration chamber worked better with exposed skin. Sliding his glare over at her, he catalogued her exposed physique, musing that her hourglass figure and supple curves would probably lay out his future son if he walked in and saw her in her current state.

Wearing a matching white halter top and high-waist bikini bottom, all of her assets were perky and rounded for the delight of any being into such a physique. Vegeta ruminated that had he come across said physique in his previous service in the Frieza Corps, he and his fellow Saiyan flunkies would've fought for the first turn at bedding her. He remembered how Nappa and Raditz would bellow and roughhouse over certain female trade, musing Sofia would've definitely been the kind of conquest his ex-compatriots would've salivated over while he trumped them in seniority and skill, enabling him to nail the target.

It dawned on him that such a premise felt like it'd originated from a whole other life ago.

"Did you provide the DNA sample for the process?" Sofia inquired, stirring him back to the present. She glanced over at him. Her facial features looked fetching and lovely now with her hair slicked back into a messy bun at the top of her head.

"How the hell else would they've achieved it," he rhetorically muttered.

"Fair," she sighed and rolled her eyes before adding, "I'm just trying to figure out if I'm standing in Vegeta spit-derived fluid—"

"If you were, you should feel honored," Vegeta countered acerbically.

"—Or if you actually gave over blood samples in order to have enough genetic product for the synthesis," she continued, unflinchingly.

Huffing, the Saiyan groused, "Don't remind me. As if I needed to spill more blood on this planet…"

Deciding to veer to another subject, Sofia inquired, "Were you there when Cell blasted me?"

Raising a brow, Vegeta glanced sidelong at her. "I caught the end, yes," he mused, not knowing where the sudden question was leading to, especially from her now guarded expression.

"Huh," she muttered thoughtfully. When she didn't immediately continue, Vegeta assumed she was finally picking up on his terse disinterest with conversational time killing. "It was the first time I felt what it would be like to die."

Disarmed, Vegeta glanced at her again, expression not betraying his curiosity. "Sounds like you're a late bloomer in that regard, especially amongst the group you hang around in," he drawled.

Laughing harshly at that, Sofia smiled, but it didn't reach her crimson eyes. "Yeah, what the hell am I even thinking…you've had to face that since you were just a little kid…how cruel is that," she whispered, her gaze becoming faraway. "I wasn't afraid, but it was the strangest feeling…"

"You didn't die, stealth, so no point in stewing about it—"

"What does it feel like?"

Staring over at her, Vegeta gazed into her eyes, and saw something he hadn't seen in another being before. It wasn't a glib question, or one that she was posing flippantly. She was truly seeking his wisdom on the matter, and her expression was free of guile or self-interest.

Taking pause to find the words to articulate it, his brows smoothened out when he found the perfect way to describe it.

"Like they've yanked the fire out of your belly and torn all sense out of your chest, leaving your mind to hollow out and numb into nothingness. You don't feel anything after," he murmured gruffly.

Sofia nodded as she absorbed his reply. "I felt differently than that—"

"Because you didn't die, like I told you," Vegeta sarcastically scoffed.

"But part of me feels dead," she whispered before shuttering in as she added, "I've felt angry and broken since it happened, so I can't help but wonder if there's different ways of dying."

Vegeta considered her now, recalling her losses in temper and the furious way about her she'd been suppressing on and off. He'd figured there was a lot more to her than the brash, goofy and weird personality she wore like armor, but was surprised by the multi-faceted personality she seemed to be hiding.

"Of course there are."

Sofia focused on him now, confused.

Vegeta continued in a surly mutter, "Part of me died when I fought Kakarot on this miserable planet…then different parts of me died on Namek, and then all of me died at that bastard's hands," he hissed, refusing to reference Frieza by name, continuing, "But then I was brought back to life, and all those parts that died came back as something else."

Brows furrowing, Sofia queried, "So…what're you saying?"

Fixing her with an aloof expression, Vegeta remarked, "I'm saying parts of you gotta die sometimes in order for you to be reborn into something better."

Blinking with wide-eyed wonder, completely floored by the logic, Sofia chimed, "Oh daaaaaamn…that's fucking prophetic!"

Grunting wryly, Vegeta drawled, "It is, isn't it. Count yourself lucky to be graced with my brilliance…"

---

Trunks hadn't ever understood the meaning of "quality family time" after a lifetime of dodging the Androids from his time. Sure, he had his mother, and Gohan had stepped in to become a father figure, training him and telling him the stories of the Z Fighters he'd grown up fighting along side, but the threat of annihilation had always hovered prominently over everything. Sitting on the patio and watching his family share in a moment of peace and genuine levity was something he was deeply cherishing, knowing he would eventually return to his own time after everything was said and done. One new, featured member to the positive association now was sitting across from him and laughing brashly at something his father had said. It'd been a wry jab about his former foe Goku, albeit followed by snide roll of his eyes as the woman continued to belly laugh before slapping her hand across Vegeta's back that almost shoved him out of his chair. Having fallen into a peculiar camaraderie—in which the Saiyan prince tolerated her quirky-yet-scathingly boisterous impish personality while Sofia seemed unable to take umbrage or pay the Saiyan's caustic arrogance any mind— after having bonded in their training, Trunks couldn't help but be a little jealous. It was exactly what he'd hoped to cultivate with his father when they'd trained in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber, but it never happened. He also found himself wondering if Sofia's improved mood was a result of being able to bounce things off of his father, or if maybe—

"Hey Trunks! You and Vegeta gotta do the dishes after inhaling most of dinner. It's only fair, dontcha think?" Sofia remarked, causing the lavender-haired fighter to startle, glancing back at her while Vegeta sputtered indignantly next to her.

"I have not nor will I ever do menial labor, stealth!" Vegeta barked at her while she grinned brilliantly at his reaction. "You so much as suggest it again—"

"So you're saying you don't want me to cook anymore, that way dishes remain clean?" she cut in innocently, eyes conspiratorially narrowed in a baiting way.

"…I did not say anything of the sort," Vegeta muttered sorely before crossing his arms over his broad chest and sitting sulkily in his patio chair. Bulma stifled a giggle while Mrs. Briefs and Dr. Briefs cheerfully pretended not to have heard the exchange, sparing the gruff Saiyan as he grunted, "The boy can handle the dishes on his own, isn't that right?"

Trunks laughed nervously, "Yeah, sure—"

Sofia tossed herself back in her chair and leveled the fighter with a snarky stare as she drawled, "C'mon, Trunks! I was just messing around. I'll clean up later. I was just hassling you guys."

Brushing his long lavender locks back as he laughed again, Trunks remarked, "Hah, sorry. I guess I got lost in thought."

"What else is new," Vegeta muttered aloofly under his breath as he took a long swig of his beer.

"You'd rather he not think then?" Sofia shot smoothly back at him and slid her gaze mockingly at Vegeta. "His parents are brilliant individuals. It'd be a shame if he wasn't just as smart."

Cradling a sleeping baby Trunks in her arm, with his head propped against her shoulder, Bulma gushed, "She's got you there, tough guy."

Trunks blushed self-consciously before coughing to clear his throat and conceal his bashfulness. "So, do you feel better after using mom's regeneration chamber?" he inquired.

"Actually, I feel really good!" Sofia replied, standing and stretching. "I've felt out of whack for a while, so if I can do this," she remarked as she made a gesture with her hand, spinning her wrist as she conjured her ki to form into a psionic katana without any effort, she held it out and wielded the crimson-energy-formed weapon masterfully before pointing it at Trunks. Vegeta betrayed intrigue in his gaze while the others gaped in awe at the ability as she spun her wrist again and allowed the psionic weapon to fizzle into brilliant tendrils of ki before dissipating. "Oh yeah! Awesome sauce—I'm back to normal—well, as normal as I've gotten used to. Whew! That means when we finally spar using ki, I'm giving you a run for your money, Vegeta," she declared jovially as she sat back in her chair and grinned at the mercurial prince.

Smirking, Vegeta mused, "Sounds cute, stealth. Now, what's on the menu for tomorrow's breakfast?"

"We just finished dinner, Vegeta," Bulma grumbled and rolled her eyes. "You're lucky we're allowing a guest in our home to slave away cooking for you—"

"You all ate too, did you not? I'd hardly call it slaving," Vegeta cut in with a snarky huff, adding with a shrug, "Besides, that's the arrangement Sofia agreed to—"

Startled, Sofia leaned in close, right into his personal space and gaped with shocked wonder into his scowling features. "Whoaaaaaaa…" she blinked comically at him.

"What?!" Vegeta tersely barked, annoyed.

"You just called me by my name," Sofia said in awed triumph, eyes twinkling like crimson stones and smile widening to show off her gleaming fangs.

"…And?" Vegeta drawled dismissively.

In a flash, Sofia had her arms tightly wrapped around his broad, brawny shoulders as she comically hugged and shook him affectionately, eyes crested in joyful achievement as she chirped, "Awwwwwww! We're officially the best buddies ever in the universe then, which is epic and everyone is going to be super jelly and I can shower you with my loyal friendship forever and ever and ever!" As she spoke, she shook him in rhythm to every word, causing Vegeta to stiffen and cringe in appalled exasperation, surly expression going from consternated to a blue blush of mortification that darkened his tanned features.

Everyone else laughed heartily at the display, even at the risk of setting off the hot-tempered Saiyan, who finally growled, "Alright! I get it now get the fu—"

"For being my ULTRA coolest bestest friend, I'm going to cook up a breakfast FEAST tomorrow, and you'll get double helpings AND I'll even let you have seconds!" Sofia interjected merrily as she squeezed him so tightly it caused her to press her cheek against his, making for a hilariously goofy sight, especially when Vegeta's eyes went wide and his flaring temper fizzled at her culinary proposition.

Begrudgingly letting her exuberant hug continue, Vegeta acerbically narrowed his eyes and groused, "I'll continue to allow your friendship, so, best comrades works for me…"

---

After Piccolo had agreed with the arrangements Goku made with Bulma, he left the Son home and found himself flying across the sky away from the Lookout, absently in direction of the cave he and Sofia had been sharing as their hideout—no, not a hideout. It's just a place we spent time in. Nothing more, he thought stubbornly, but still found himself heading in the direction of the cave that skirted the desolate wilderness, pining for something.

As he saw the swaths of desert come into view below, he zoomed down towards the area of the wilderness where the lush jungle was flanked by the rocky plateaus, subdividing the area from the desert scape and sandy bluffs just yonder. Descending, he used his agility to traverse the side of the plateau towards the opening of the cave before taking his shoulderpads and turban off so he could move easily into the cavern. After walking in and getting to the back of the cave, he felt his spirits drop at seeing it completely vacant. All the adornments, makeshift furniture—all the mementos Sofia had collected over the years and decorated to make the primitive space warm and cozy were gone. The only thing left was the makeshift fire pit in the center. Dejected, he sat down and just stared down into the soot-smudged pit. It still smelled like a fire had burned in the spot in recent days, and the depleted tinder crumbled under his fingers when he grabbed it and tossed it to the side before grabbing some kindling and starting a new fire for himself so he could stare into the tepid flames as they undulated and lit up the cold cave walls.

Closing his eyes, he focused on picking up the telltale psychic energy that was imprinted in the cave. Thanks to Kami's abilities, he could hone in on the expended energy in a place and use it to cycle back and replay what'd occurred in the space. Sofia's ki shone around him before the cave glowed around him in his mind's eye, showing him her fitful reaction from days before. Suddenly, he looked next to himself and saw her sitting just feet away, with her knees pulled against her chest as she buried her face against her folded arms and wept. He couldn't hear her, but the way her frame shook sent a pang of upset into his chest. Shaking his head, he willed the vision away and clenched his eyes shut as he calmed his breathing in order to let the imprinted scene fade away. Clenching his hands into fists, he dug his nails into his palms as he slammed his fists against his knees and snarled in anger.

"Go ahead, say it." When he didn't receive a response, Piccolo turned his comment inward. 'Tell me what you've been dying to say. There's no point in avoiding it,' he groused.

Nail grunted. 'Now you want our feedback?'

'Yes. What am I…what do I do to win her back?' the usually antisocial Namekian was crestfallen, and didn't want to hear his own thoughts on the matter any longer.

'My son, you just need to tell her how you truly feel, and apologize. There are no grand gestures required,' Kami replied sagaciously, empathizing with his younger counterpart. 'Just go to her, and say what's in your heart.'

Piccolo exhaled a huff, crossing his arms over his chest as his hurt simmered. It'd been ages since he allowed his emotions to affect him so, and he struggled to repress his old defense mechanisms of swallowing hurt and despair in order to convert them into anger and hate. 'I tried!'

'She wasn't ready to hear you then,' Nail remarked tentatively. 'Remember, what was days for you were mere hours for her.'

'That's right. You also have to take into account everything else that's weighing on her mind. Perhaps this time she's taken—going to Capsule Corp, is the space she needed to collect her thoughts. It wouldn't hurt to try again at the friendly gathering—' Kami reasoned.

'I'm not going to pour my fucking heart out to her in front of everyone, old man,' Piccolo barked moodily.

'Did you ever stop to think that maybe that's part of the problem, Piccolo?' Nail snapped. 'Look around you! For three years, you two loved each other openly—but under the condition of hiding it from everyone else, here in this cave. You came here because you longed to let your guard down and pine for her, and you've built it up in your mind that you can only do that here. It's not going to kill you to pour your heart out to her in the presence of others—'

'I DID that already too though!' Piccolo protested in a surly shout.

'Telling Mr. Popo and Kami is NOT the same, so quit being so damned obtuse!' Nail shouted, startling the other two Namekians. 'Look, this isn't three years ago. This secluded and sequestered love affair is over, and it's time for you to take the next steps to forge something new with her, so quit being a fool and make it happen!'

'…Very well said, Nail,' Kami mused, a smile in his tone.

Chuckling self-consciously, Nail remarked, 'I do try.'

Grunting humorlessly, Piccolo muttered, 'Yeah well…you might have a point, so...I'll do anything to fix things and make her happy again."

'Good!' Kami and Nail chimed in unison, very pleased and proud with their progress in chipping away at Piccolo's stubborn will.

Rolling his eyes, Piccolo grunted, 'Thanks for the pep talk, I guess…'

---

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