Cosmos ignored the two boys giggling and trying to quiet each other down. They were hiding in the woods, trying to sneak up on her. She pretended not to hear or sense them and continued to sweep her steps.
"BOO!" the boys exclaimed as they jumped out of the woods into the clearing.
"Aaaa!" Cosmos squeaked in surprise as she dropped her broom to cover her mouth.
"Ha! Gotcha!" Trunks exclaimed as he and Goten grinned madly.
"Yes, you did," Cosmos replied. "And, just for that, no chocolate chip muffins."
"Ah, no!" the boys exclaimed, pouting.
"We brought you a present," Goten said, trying to get Cosmos to change her mind.
Cosmos hesitated, trying to stop herself from grinning. "I don't know..." After seeing the boys' pitiful faces, she staggered back, one hand held in front of her to ward something off. "All right, all right. You win. Just, please, stop. Not the puppy eyes!"
"Yay!"
Pulling two muffins out of thin air, she handed one to each boy. Five seconds later, the muffins were gone.
"We have a present for you," Goten solemnly stated.
"Oh?" Cosmos replied, trying to keep a straight face even though Goten had a smudge of chocolate on his forehead and Trunks had two on his nose.
Trunks nodded and somberly handed over a drawstring bag.
Cosmos freed the string that tied the bag closed and peered inside. "Thank you, boys," she said, trying to figure out why they'd give her seven orange balls with stars on them.
"It's the Dragonballs," Trunks explained. "You use them to make a wish."
"A wish?" Cosmos was startled.
"Yeah," Goten nodded. "We gathered them for you. You get two wishes. Then, the dragon goes away and the balls zip off to hide again."
"A dragon?" Cosmos was getting confused.
"Let me try," Trunks said. "See, these balls are hidden around the world. The person who finds them all can use them to summon the dragon, who will grant two wishes. After, the dragon sleeps again, and the Dragonballs become stone for a year while they recharge. Also, they disappear so people have to hunt the world for them again."
"And, you found them all for me, so I could make a wish?" Cosmos was shocked.
Goten nodded. "You're sad. We want to make you happy."
Cosmos stared at the boys, wide-eyed, unsure how to answer that.
"I thought I told you boys to stay away from here," A gruff voice said from above. The three looked up to see Piccolo land beside them, arms crossed.
"Piccolo-san!" Trunks and Goten exclaimed, looking slightly guilty.
"Piccolo-san," Cosmos said with a regal nod before turning her attention back to the boys. "I thank you for this gift, but I cannot accept it."
"Why not?" Trunks asked, both he and Goten looking hurt.
"I have nothing I can wish for," Cosmos replied as she re-tied the bag shut.
"But, the Dragonballs can grant any wish!" Goten exclaimed.
"Yeah! They can even bring the dead back to life!" Trunks added.
Cosmos paled consideringly and stared down at the bag in her suddenly white knuckled grip. After taking a deep, shuddering breath, she replied, "Again, thank you. But, I cannot use these." She then held her hand out, trying to get Trunks or Goten to take the Dragonballs back.
"There has to be *something* you can wish for!" Goten stubbornly replied as both he and Trunks refused to take the bag back.
"Money. Power. Immortality. Godhood," Piccolo added scathingly.
Cosmos's eyes narrowed. "Boys, I enjoyed your company, but you need to go home," she said in a normal tone of voice. "Piccolo," she continued, her voice dropping to freezing, "You are to also leave."
"Not without those Dragonballs," Piccolo replied, not even fazed by Cosmos dropping the honorific off his name.
Cosmos tossed the bag at Piccolo. "Leave."
"But, we just got here!" Goten whined.
"You'll get into trouble if you stay," Cosmos replied kindly.
Sighing, the two boys nodded. Both ran up to Cosmos and hugged her waist before making a running leap into the sky towards home.
"I have the Dragonballs now. I could make a wish to wipe you out of existence," Piccolo stated.
Cosmos's laugh was like shards of glass falling. "You could try, Piccolo, you could try. Now, *leave*."
Glaring, Piccolo turned and left.
As soon as his silhouette disappeared from the horizon, Cosmos collapsed to her knees, tears slipping down her face.
"BOO!" the boys exclaimed as they jumped out of the woods into the clearing.
"Aaaa!" Cosmos squeaked in surprise as she dropped her broom to cover her mouth.
"Ha! Gotcha!" Trunks exclaimed as he and Goten grinned madly.
"Yes, you did," Cosmos replied. "And, just for that, no chocolate chip muffins."
"Ah, no!" the boys exclaimed, pouting.
"We brought you a present," Goten said, trying to get Cosmos to change her mind.
Cosmos hesitated, trying to stop herself from grinning. "I don't know..." After seeing the boys' pitiful faces, she staggered back, one hand held in front of her to ward something off. "All right, all right. You win. Just, please, stop. Not the puppy eyes!"
"Yay!"
Pulling two muffins out of thin air, she handed one to each boy. Five seconds later, the muffins were gone.
"We have a present for you," Goten solemnly stated.
"Oh?" Cosmos replied, trying to keep a straight face even though Goten had a smudge of chocolate on his forehead and Trunks had two on his nose.
Trunks nodded and somberly handed over a drawstring bag.
Cosmos freed the string that tied the bag closed and peered inside. "Thank you, boys," she said, trying to figure out why they'd give her seven orange balls with stars on them.
"It's the Dragonballs," Trunks explained. "You use them to make a wish."
"A wish?" Cosmos was startled.
"Yeah," Goten nodded. "We gathered them for you. You get two wishes. Then, the dragon goes away and the balls zip off to hide again."
"A dragon?" Cosmos was getting confused.
"Let me try," Trunks said. "See, these balls are hidden around the world. The person who finds them all can use them to summon the dragon, who will grant two wishes. After, the dragon sleeps again, and the Dragonballs become stone for a year while they recharge. Also, they disappear so people have to hunt the world for them again."
"And, you found them all for me, so I could make a wish?" Cosmos was shocked.
Goten nodded. "You're sad. We want to make you happy."
Cosmos stared at the boys, wide-eyed, unsure how to answer that.
"I thought I told you boys to stay away from here," A gruff voice said from above. The three looked up to see Piccolo land beside them, arms crossed.
"Piccolo-san!" Trunks and Goten exclaimed, looking slightly guilty.
"Piccolo-san," Cosmos said with a regal nod before turning her attention back to the boys. "I thank you for this gift, but I cannot accept it."
"Why not?" Trunks asked, both he and Goten looking hurt.
"I have nothing I can wish for," Cosmos replied as she re-tied the bag shut.
"But, the Dragonballs can grant any wish!" Goten exclaimed.
"Yeah! They can even bring the dead back to life!" Trunks added.
Cosmos paled consideringly and stared down at the bag in her suddenly white knuckled grip. After taking a deep, shuddering breath, she replied, "Again, thank you. But, I cannot use these." She then held her hand out, trying to get Trunks or Goten to take the Dragonballs back.
"There has to be *something* you can wish for!" Goten stubbornly replied as both he and Trunks refused to take the bag back.
"Money. Power. Immortality. Godhood," Piccolo added scathingly.
Cosmos's eyes narrowed. "Boys, I enjoyed your company, but you need to go home," she said in a normal tone of voice. "Piccolo," she continued, her voice dropping to freezing, "You are to also leave."
"Not without those Dragonballs," Piccolo replied, not even fazed by Cosmos dropping the honorific off his name.
Cosmos tossed the bag at Piccolo. "Leave."
"But, we just got here!" Goten whined.
"You'll get into trouble if you stay," Cosmos replied kindly.
Sighing, the two boys nodded. Both ran up to Cosmos and hugged her waist before making a running leap into the sky towards home.
"I have the Dragonballs now. I could make a wish to wipe you out of existence," Piccolo stated.
Cosmos's laugh was like shards of glass falling. "You could try, Piccolo, you could try. Now, *leave*."
Glaring, Piccolo turned and left.
As soon as his silhouette disappeared from the horizon, Cosmos collapsed to her knees, tears slipping down her face.