It's another Interlude! RUN! RUN FOR YER LIVES! AAAHHHHHH! ::points to the looming Interlude:: Interluuuuude! ::the interlude destroys downtown Tokyo::
Kami: Ok, so what have you done to us now, Kit?
Kit: ^__^ Nothing. Nothing at all. This Interlude is dedicated entirely to the mischief that girls can do. I myself am living testament to mischief.
Trunks: I'd believe that…
Kit: Quiet you! You aren't a main character in this story so you don't get to be in the rant!
Trunks: ç_ç ::whimper::
Nail: Aww, don't feel bad, at least you don't have to sing 'Squirrel Salami' every day.
Kit: And this is just a note to all you people asking, I will NEVER tell you about 'Squirrel Salami and the Whammie Kablammie'. NEVER EVER! It's one of those great unknowns in life… like the noodle incident in Calvin and Hobbes, or what hotdogs are made of. Extra bonus points if you've ever heard the song where I 'borrowed' 'Squirrel Salami's theme from. (Hint, there is a squirrel involved and he goes weeeeeeeeee a lot and it can be found on the internet… that was my inspiration.)
Piccolo: And I'm sure the audience is … touched… you are so damn inspired.
Kit: Hey! I think that was an insult! Or possibly a donut… yeah, it was probably a donut.
Piccolo: O.o? Baka…

6/9/02

Touch Tones

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Meece was currently stuffing a duffel bag full of clothes, CD's, snacks, and miscellaneous objects as Piccolo watched curiously. Actually, watching Meece had become a rare occasion, especially since she turned into a teenager. Meece was 16, and Piccolo would give her the privacy that he knew humans often desired. She was no longer the clinging little barnacle he had raised. As much as he hated to admit it she was a perfectly normal human teenager (if one could overlook the fact she was deaf, a Guardian-in-training, and had more chi than a bus full of hyper children).

"Ten AM. No later than that." Piccolo rasped, not budging an inch from the doorway.

"Papa, it's a sleepover. Do you really think Meece can get up that early if we girls stay up all night?" Meece smiled, her eyes sparkling with amusement. Oh how he hated that, looking both perfectly cute and grown up at the same time.

*I think it's more like an oxymoron. It's called a sleepover, and yet that's the last thing you do there.* Nail remarked.

"Well, then what time do YOU think you'll all wake up at?" Piccolo demanded.

Meece tapped her chin thoughtfully. Then she closed her eyes briefly. "Judging by Meece's vision, we will all be awake by eleven AM when Bulma-san burns the eggs and sets the smoke detector off." Piccolo smiled, his face hidden by his white collar. Meece had finally managed to domesticate her ability of clairvoyance. But it didn't always work well, sometimes it would only show her a few seconds in advance, and usually it was about something totally unimportant.

"And there will be no boys there?" Piccolo growled, placing one of his hands on Meece's head. The girl probably only had one growth spurt left, and Piccolo still made her look like a tiny child.

"Just Trunks-kun and Go-niisan! Vegeta-san will be 'watching us' from the gravity room." Meece chuckled.

The namek sighed, and let his eyes drift shut in relief. But then one of his coal black eyes sprung back open, "And no Lenchi?"

*Paranoid father alert! Preparing to sing 'Squirrel Salami' …* Nail warned.

"No, Papa. No Lenchi at the sleepover. This is a GIRL party… no boys are suppose to come onto our floor. Not even Go-niisan or Trunks." Meece smiled exasperatedly and sighed.

Risking his own sanity, he asked anyway, "And you aren't sneaking out to meet him?"

*Paranoid father detected! Launching 'Squirrel Salami' theme song! 'Oooohh, there-was-this-squirrel-and-he-ran-across-the-street-and-didn't-get-hit-by-a-car-and-went-WEEEEEEE!!!'* Nail sang, causing Piccolo to wince. After all, a namek singing at high speeds in a high falsetto is NOT a pretty sound.

Fortunately for Piccolo, Meece spoke up in her loudest telepathic voice. 'Papa, Meece learned a long time ago not to disobey. Don't you trust Meece?' And her simple words cut Piccolo down. Of course he trusted her. If she said to stand in a bucket of water and touch an electric fence, he would, because he trusted that Meece would have checked (and doubled checked) to see if the power was off.

"Of course I trust you," He said softly, and then raised his voice to booming levels, "Now get out of here and go to your party before Vegeta's spoiled brat wonders where you are." Meece smiled, then jumped up and gave him a quick hug before leaving, waving until she vanished from view.

*You said it.* Kami spoke.

'Said what?' Piccolo grumbled, getting use to the lack of noise in Dende's Lookout.

*You said 'Brat'. And Meece didn't flinch at all. In fact, I think she's gotten over the word all together.* Kami reminded Piccolo again of Meece's once painful past.

'Of course, you wrinkled fossil! Don't presume that I'm anything like those humans. It took forever to her to forget that crap.' Piccolo unfolded his arms and held them at his sides stiffly.

*Whaaaat?! 'Wrinkled fossil'?! You ungrateful pup! I've been that voice of common sense in this empty head of yours for raising that girl!* Kami protested…loudly.

Piccolo snorted, 'HA! All you've done is complain and nag! I think monkeys could have given better advice than you.' The insult flew across and pricked Kami's pride. It looked like it would escalate into a full out mental battle. Or it would have if it weren't for the quick thinking of Nail.

……..well……..

Ok, so maybe thinking had nothing to do with it. More like 'randomly short attention span' touches it quite nicely. *'Oooohh, there-was-this-squirrel-and-he-ran-across-the-street-and-didn't-get-hit-by-a-car-and-went-WEEEEEEE!!!'* Nail began to sing the Squirrel Salami theme song, every so slightly. But the song had the ability to be heard by no matter WHO sang it, and not matter how lacking in pitch they were.

"SHUT UP!" Both Piccolo and Kami screamed. But the sinister song had done its damage. It was now stuck in their heads for the rest of the night.

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"No! You go first!" Bra shrieked. So far the sleep over was including everything but sleep. Four girls--Bra, Meece, Pan and Marron-- were dressed in their pajamas. Bra was wearing a large button down blouse, Meece smaller version of Piccolo's gi (minus the cape and shoulder pads of course), Pan was wearing matching silk jammies, and Marron a pair of long boxers and a T-shirt. Marron was the oldest there at 17, and Pan was the youngest at 14. The girls were up at Capsule Corp, chatting and giggling with no men on the upper floor. Trunks and Goten (who always slept over) were downstairs on the couches, and Vegeta was probably still training outside in the gravity room.

"Ok," Meece giggled. Usually, the Guardian-in-training was calm and caring, but when she was with her friends she turned into a giggling, ditzy teen thanks to Pan and her many Pixie Stixs. Meece was the wildest woman in the room right now. "Bra, Truth or DARE!"

"I can't say no to a challenge! Dare me!" Bra kicked her feet.

"Dare! Hmmm, ok. Meece dare you-," Meece said each word slowly, her green hair swaying with each report, "to go down stairs, and eat a clove of garlic, and then, KISS GOTEN-NIISAN!" She dissolved into giggles.

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Meanwhile, downstairs, Trunks and Goten are playing video games when the silly laughter reached their ears. "Is it just me, or whenever a group of girls gets together and laughs, it's always about us." Trunks looked worried.

"Laughing girls are the most evil thing on this planet." Goten concentrated on completing a double jump on the video game.

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Bra led the group down the stairs, everyone running as fast as they could go. It sounded like a heard of miniature elephants. The giggling girls ran past Trunks and Goten and dashed into the kitchen.

"Hey, at least it isn't about us after all." Trunks shrugged. Goten looked suspiciously at the girls as they headed out of the room.

Meece dug through the fridge, searching for a clove of garlic. Her fingers closed on a small clove in the crisper and she pulled it out quickly. Holding it like a valuable gem, she offered it to Bra.

'Do you take this stinky garlic, to have and to eat, to chew and to swallow, as long as you are going to kiss Goten?' Meece asked seriously (and telepathically so the boys wouldn't hear), or rather, tried to ask seriously because she started giggling.

"I do." More giggles. Bra snatched the garlic up and jammed it into her mouth and munched away. Seconds later, the noxious breath of Bra caused Meece to reel back; her sensitive nose overwhelmed. "It's my new attack! Death Breath!" She hissed, blowing a waft of the garlicky smell at the girls. Pan hid her nose under the neckline of her top while the others held their breath. Marron pretended to faint.

'Now how do we catch Goten?' Marron asked, letting Meece transmit the message telepathically to the other girls while she looked around the corner at the demi-saiya-jin playing the video games.

'Just ask him to kill a spider, then kiss him when he comes in the room!' Meece squealed. Telepathy did come in handy while plotting against boys.

"Spider! Where?! AHHH!" Pan heard the word and began to freak out. She dove under the table, brandishing a rolled newspaper as a weapon. The other girls all sweatdropped.

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Goten had just about defeated the Goblin King on the video game when Bra's panicked shriek came from the kitchen. Almost dropping the control, Goten turned around. The Goblin King massacred the hero in the second he took his eyes off the game. Trunks simply ignored the scream, apparently use to it (after all, he was related to Bulma and Vegeta and they ALWAYS yelled).

"Goten! Help me kill this big, icky spider!" Bra ran out, waving her arms wildly. Running in circles, she dashed back into the kitchen. Trunks was still laughing at Goten's dead hero character, and didn't notice the herd of girls hiding in the pantry, giggling. Goten got up and grabbed a magazine to squish the spider.

"Ok Bra, where is this spi-," He got out. Then Bra wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him with her halitosis breath. Totally stunned from the kiss (and the garlic) Goten froze, dropping the magazine. That second, three girls fell out of the pantry, Marron's camera flashing. With a mighty giggle, all four dashed off back upstairs.

Goten stumbled back into the living room and sat down, missing the chair by a good foot. He fell on his butt, totally disoriented.

"Are you ok?" Trunks lifted one eyebrow.

"Your sister just kissed me." Goten said in a monotone. "And she has got the weirdest breath..."

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"I did it! Now I get to pick!" Bra flopped over on the bed. Meece was slumped against the bed too, trying to muffle her laughter and Marron was cradling the camera like an egg. "PAN! I choose you!" Bra shouted, and Pan jumped up and posed, preparing for her task. "Truth or Dare?!"

"Hmmm, that's a hard one, but I'll pick Truth!" Pan smiled.

"Is that your final answer?" Bra snorted. Pan rolled her eyes. "Ok, Truth. How many times a day do you check out my brother's butt." Meece laughed so hard she fell off the bed. Marron began to twitch spastically, suppressing her laughter. Pan's mouth fell open.

"That's not fair!" Pan crossed her arms.

"Yeah, that requires math! How many seconds are there in a day for her to stare at his butt?" Marron snickered. She dodged a pillow being hurled by Pan. Now Meece was laughing so hard tears were coming out of her eyes.

"Fine, I'll change the question. You just have to tell us what outfit you like to see him wear." Bra rested her chin on her palms. Pan blushed. She struggled to get it out.

"Well, you know that spandex stuff Vegeta wear, I'd bet he would look really hot in that!" Pan said, turning beat red. Marron had to pound Meece on the back to get her to breathe because she was laughing so hard. "And then if he would wear biker gloves, and his jacket, he would look so cute!"

"Spandex!" Meece squeaked, hardly able to breathe at all. Apparently she could 'see' the picture Pan was thinking of using her telepathy.

"Wait! I'll show you!" Pan dove over to her bag, digging around in it. Inside was her laptop. Pulling it out, she quickly opened several pictures on the screen and began to work. The other girls looked over her shoulder in interest as the demi-saiya-jin mixed and blended the two pictures together. The final result? Trunks in a dark green spandex suit that happened to be cut like Meece's 'one strap sparring top', wearing biker gloves, and the same jacket that the pictures of Mira Trunks was in. It was a fine picture… so the girls spared a moment to 'appreciate' the picture (except for Bra, who was now embarrassed).

"My turn!" Pan sneered at Marron, closing her laptop up, "And I choose you, Marron-chan!" Meece was still trying to control her laughter.

"Aye cap'n!" Marron snickered. "The task I choose, shall be DARE!"

"Ok, your task shall be to go and dress up in Trunks' clothes, then go down and act like him right in front of them." More giggling ensued.

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Downstairs, Trunks suddenly shivered. "What's up man? Cold?" Goten asked.

"No, I just had this really weird feeling that things are going to get worse."

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And up in Dende's Tower, one Guardian, a Djinn, and a very angry 'daddy' namek were sitting down with popcorn to watch the scene unfold.

"I bet a week's worth of chores says those boys don't know what's going to hit them." Dende smiled.

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Marron was wearing one of Trunks' muscle shirts, almost hanging too low for her, and his Capsule Corporation jacket. After a brief search they found a pair of his pants. Marron pulled them on and had to use the smallest belt hole. Bra brought Trunks' boots and Meece retrieved his sword that Mira Trunks had given him as a boy. Pan had to take a picture.

"Remember, you have to be Trunks." Pan's camera flashed.

"Silly girls, I know that I am Trunks, a stud-ly man! Do I impress you?" Marron thrust out her chest and posed. The girls tittered and led the Trunks-look-alike downstairs. Marron was having a little trouble walking in such large boots, and was taking giant, knee-bending man steps. After a few tries (and nearly falling on her face twice), she was mimicking the walk almost perfectly.

She walked into the living room, chin up, and nose in the air. Both Trunks and Goten's mouth dropped. "Hey Goten, lets go spar so we don't have to do any real work!" Marron said with a low, badly mangled, baritone voice. Then she brushed her long, loose, blond hair back, only to have it fall forward again. It was something Trunks did automatically, an exact copy of him.

"Marron? Are you ok? Why are you in Trunks' clothes?" Goten looked scared, Trunks looked horrified.

Using Trunks' nickname for Goten, Marron continued to act. "Feh, Chibi-chan, can't you tell that I'M Trunks, major hunky man!" Marron posed again and the girls in the hall giggled softly. Trunks looked like he wanted to fall off the world.

"Someday, I'll be more powerful than my father!" Marron put her hands on her hips. "But right now, I'll settle for my fan-club!" She reached back and pulled out the sword. Swinging it clumsily around, Marron said, "So does my sword impress you?" Goten and Trunks both fell face first into the floor. The girls couldn't hold their laughter in and were screaming with laughter. Meece was laughing tears and Pan fell over, totally out of breath. Bra was holding her sides in pain.

"That's it!" Trunks stood up. "I can't take this anymore. Yeah, it was cute when you girls kissed Goten, but that is just weird! Let's go, Goten!"

"No! Goten's training with me!" Marron said, mimicking Trunks' voice (badly). "Let's go, Goten! I bet we can sneak in to the girl's locker room if we are quiet!" She posed again. By now, Goten was laughing hard enough to disturb Vegeta, who came storming in.

"What in the name of Kami…?" Vegeta froze when he saw Trunks being menaced by a much smaller Trunks-look-alike, Goten was rolling on the floor, and the girls couldn't control their own laughter. Meece was crying with laughter and her hair was being charged with her chi as she lost control of it so it looked like she had just been given electro-shock. Rather than ask again, Vegeta left for the gravity room, thankful that it wasn't him.

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"Too bad your brother ran off," Pan's legs dangled from the edge of the bed. "That was so funny, it was probably illegal."

"Yeah, and he took Goten with too." Bra sighed. Marron pulled her pajamas back on, leaving Trunks' clothes on the floor. Meece was laying on the floor, still giggling. They had to drag her back up the stairs since she was so incapacitated with laughter.

"Hey! It's my turn now!" Marron realized. "And I get to choose Meece! Truth or Dare?" Meece detected Marron using her name and sprang up. She gave the choices a quick thought, and realized that if she chose 'truth', the girls would probably make her confess all and any feelings for Lenchi. That was something she'd rather not let out just yet so she picked....

"Meece accepts thy fine DARE, do thy worst, knave!" She said with a strange old English accent.

"Fine, and your task shall be," Marron jumped up and grabbed a piece of paper from the desk and scribbled something on it, "to put this sign on Vegeta's back without him knowing!" The girls read the sign and almost died laughing. The sign read, 'ASK ME ABOUT MY THONG!!!!'

"WHAT?! That is suicide! Meece wouldn't survive it! …. Man, Meece is gonna die if he catches her, but-," Meece snatched the sign up, "you may want to get a video camera to record this! Meece is going to need a last will and testament." And with that, Meece opened the window and flew down to the gravity room. The other girls shrieked, not believing Meece was going to do it. Sure, she was brave, but this was way beyond bravery and into the 'insanity' group. Bra grabbed a camcorder and they ran off to hide in the bushes.

Meece knocked on the door, the sign hidden under her shirt. "Vegeta! Meece wanna spar!" She mewled, beating on the door as if she meant to break it down, something she had picked up from Piccolo. "Come out or Meece will tell everyone the Saiya-jin no Ouji watches Oprah!"

The door practically exploded open. Vegeta stood there looking enraged, and Meece hadn't even stuck the sign on him yet. Meece always knew which buttons to push to make people mad. After all, when you can read someone's mind like a book, it isn't very hard to learn these things. And the best way to tick Vegeta off would be to start poking insults and mocking his lineage. It would make him raging mad, but it would also guarantee a sparring partner (albeit one who wanted to rip her head off).

"Fine, but you probably will be taking a nap shortly afterwards, say, for a month in a hospital bed." He sneered, cracking his knuckles. Vegeta wouldn't actually hurt Meece (probably in fear of Bra's mighty 'wrath'), but he would fight her to her limit.

Meece pulled a smirk onto her face. "Ha! Meece isn't scared! Well… ok, so Meece is scared… of getting BOY cooties from you!" She straightened her back and leaned forward to yell the second part. Vegeta was, to say the least, surprised at her outburst.

And then the acting began. Meece began to twitch. "Oh no! Meece got the Cootie! It must have come from Vegeta! I have royal cooties!" She gagged, and then flopped over to the ground and began rolling in the grass. "Or maybe Lenchi! Lenchi has three-eyed cooties!" She rolled around in a circle, leaving Vegeta looking like he either wanted to laugh or kick her ass. Meece continued to thrash around in the grass, rolling behind Vegeta as he sweatdropped and remained unmoving.

With one deft motion, Meece's hand quickly snaked up and slapped the sign on his back. Vegeta began to turn around to see what she had just done when Meece suddenly and inexplicably jumped up and grabbed her neck like she was choking.

"Ahhh! Lenchi even kissed Meece! Ewwww! Boy germs! Meece needs to get an antibiotic shot!" Meece wailed, then flew into the window of the house. Vegeta stood there, looking absolutely confused. The female Guardian apprentice had just gone from a very smart, rational girl to a cootie screaming brat again. Maybe it was a new ploy, or maybe she is just crazy.

"And I thought she liked that three-eyed baka." Vegeta muttered, walking back into the gravity room. The girls in the bushes broke out laughing when he turned around. 'ASK ME ABOUT MY THONG!!!' was perfectly visible on his back.

"Meece! You are a genius!" Bra ran back into her room. Meece was lounging on the bed, looking smug and putting small braids in her long hair. "You didn't even have to fight him!"

"Lenchi kissed you!?!" Pan gawked. Meece had once again returned to 'calm and cute' stage and her large chestnut eyes glittered in the dim light.

"Cooties?" Marron asked. "And how old are we today Meece?" Meece gave a rough laugh and held up four fingers. It was like a private joke between them, and it had started only a few weeks after the three girls snuck into the vampire movie all those years ago. Vegeta had told them to act their age, so they would 'declare' themselves to be a certain age whenever they saw fit.

"Lenchi…kissed…-" Pan was still gawking.

"Oh, Pan-chan, there's nothing about it. He sneezed and turned into Blue-Lenchi and started reciting poetry and kissed Meece's hand. Like a perfect gentleman." Meece waved her hand, her cheeks turning a delicate shell pink in the moonlit room.

"Meece and Lenchi sitting in a tree, K-I-S-S-I-N-G!" Marron started to chant. Meece blushed even more, waving her hands like a flag and trying to get her to stop singing that song.

"No no! It's not like that! Meece does not go around kissing boys! She's a Guardian, and Guardians are above such things," She said, taking a quote directly from one of Piccolo's rants. "Speaking of which, do we have any more Pixie Stixs?" Meece's hands were woven tightly into her pajamas as her blush raged on.

"Wow, way to change the subject, Meece-chan." Bra said sarcastically. Suddenly all four girls detected Goku's ki heading toward Capsule Corp.

"Hmm, Grandpa Goku must be looking for a late night spar with Vegeta." Pan looked out the window.

Meece began to laugh hysterically. The girls looked at the green-haired girl, totally confused. "Don't you mean, Mr. 'ASK ME ABOUT MY THONG'?" Suddenly the air was filled with wild laughter. Pan suddenly snorted, which only made them laugh harder. They had to catch this on video.

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"Hey Vegeta! Wanna spar?" Goku shouted at the Gravity room. The door swung open and Vegeta stepped out.

"Isn't it a little late to spar, Kakorrot?" Vegeta huffed. "I was just challenged by that namekian raised human, and threw herself to the ground and proceeded to yell about Lenchi's germs before running off. Crazy females." Vegeta began to stretch, getting ready for a short spar with Goku. He turned his back on the other saiya-jin, stretching out his hamstrings. Goku was baffled.

"Hey Vegeta, what's all this about your thong?" Goku scratched his head. Yes, it was a good night for a slumber party.

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And meanwhile, up at Dende's Tower. "SHE WHAT?!?" Piccolo bellowed. "LENCHI KISSED HER?! I'LL KILL HIM!" He began to power up, a wave of chi bowling over Dende, Popo, and a large bowl of cheese nachos.

*Over-Protective, paranoid father detected…preparing to sing 'Squirrel Salami' in T-minus five seconds….* Nail reported.