"Will you just be patient?!" Piccolo frowned. "Anyway, we're almost there."
Maple sighed, and continued following him.
They flew for a minute or two more, and Piccolo started to slow down.
"Here." he said, landing on the ground.
"Here?" Maple landed beside him. She started to look around.
"Yep." Piccolo nodded. He looked at her. "Don't look around yet. First, close your eyes."
"Oh, come on, Piccolo!" Maple whined.
"Just do it." Piccolo ordered.
"...." Maple sighed. "Fine, then!" she closed her eyes."But this better be good."
"Yeah, yeah. Just quit your whining." Piccolo replied. He put his hands on her shoulders. "This way - and DON'T open your eyes!" he started to lead her.
"Piccolo, where am I going?" Maple asked.
"Hang on. Geez, can't you be patient for just a second?"
"Um... is that a trick question?" Maple smirked.
"Hm." Piccolo cracked a small smile at her reply. He watched her feet, making sure she didn't step over the edge of the cliff. Yes, they were on a cliff. A few metres behind them was a forest, but he had no interest in that right now.
"Okay," Piccolo pulled her back a little, telling her to stop. "Now you can either sit down or stay standing."
"If I stay standing, can I open my eyes now?" Maple asked.
"Heh." Piccolo chuckled. "Go on, then. Open your eyes."
"Finally!" Maple opened her eyes, and gasped at what she saw.
The moon was out. The sky was filled with stars that shone like diamonds. The sea stretched out for miles, so far that she couldn't see the end of it. It seemed to go on forever. It glowed in the moonlight, like an endless silver road into the heavens that hid behind the clear, beautiful night sky. She looked down at the ground below the cliff.
"Is that...?"
"Yep." Piccolo nodded. "That's the beach. Vegeta mentioned there weren't many beaches on your planet. You've never seen one, right?"
"... Not like this..." Maple mumbled. She sat down, her legs hanging over the cliff edge. "Piccolo..." she looked up at him. "This is amazing! Thank you so much for bringing me here!"
"I thought I'd bring you at night. I think it looks better in moonlight." Piccolo told her, sitting down beside her. He looked at her. "So you've been to a beach before?"
"... Well... not exactly..." Maple mumbled. "I was gonna..."
"So why didn't you?" Piccolo shrugged.
".... Zarbon was gonna come visit us... a month after his death.... he should've come home for a fortnight..." Maple replied. "All five of us - mom included - were going to go to the beach. Make a day of it. It'd be the first time for my sisters and I. And Zarbon."
".... Right... Sorry...." Piccolo looked at Maple. "But... he was still our enemy. We all had families - most of which were destroyed in some way or another by Frieza and your brother."
"..." Maple sighed. "I know, I know. But... it's just so hard to imagine Zarbon as a killer. He was always so nice to us. Especially me. He wasn't just my brother. He was my best friend."
"Well I can't say I know what that feels like." Piccolo admitted. "I don't have a brother, for a start."
"Oh, you're an only child?" Maple asked. Piccolo nodded.
"Who's your parent? Do you call them your father or your mother?"
"Apparently, he was a male namek." Piccolo answered. "But I dunno." he lay down, his hands behind his head.
Maple looked at him.
"Huh? What do you mean you don't know?"
"I never met him. He died before I was born. The last thing he did was spit out that egg." Piccolo told her.
"Really? You've never had any family at all? Not even adoptive parents?"
"Why, do I look like I need looking after? I could take care of myself." Piccolo told her. He noticed the expression on his face, and smirked. "What, you don't feel sorry for me, do you?"
"But... I think it's kinda sad that you've always been alone..." Maple said.
"Not always alone. I guess Goku and I are in the "friend" zone if you have to say that. I know his family, too. I taught his eldest son a lot of what he knows." Piccolo replied.
"But... you were alone as a child. I could never do that." Maple told him.
"Really?" Piccolo sat up. He looked at her. "What's so bad about being independent?"
"Nothing. But, I don't think I could stand to be unloved. Not as a kid, anyway. I think all children need someone to call their family." Maple insisted.
"Then I guess it's different for nameks. Because I didn't mind." Piccolo shrugged.
"Not all nameks... because I know I certainly wouldn't like it." Maple added.
"You really love your family, don't you?" Piccolo asked.
"Mm - hm." Maple nodded. She smirked. "Although Silvia can bug me sometimes, and when Leela does her talks about fairy tales it drives me mad," she chuckled. "I still love them. We all feel that way...." she sighed. "Even Leela..."
"What do you mean?" Piccolo asked.
"Oh, her and Zarbon never really got on. He was jealous of her because she stole his place as the star at the Samedin Night Club. She was a really cute kid. The audience loved her." Maple explained. "But Zarbon sure didn't. He hated her for it. Y'know, I think that's why he left to work for Frieza. He always said it was because it was a good job, but we didn't really believe him."
"He'd leave home just because he was jealous of his sister? Seems pretty childish." Piccolo commented.
"Well, that was Zarbon." Maple replied. "Besides, he was still quite young. He was eighteen. Okay, an adult, but he was probably only about fourteen in human years."
She shook her head.
"But y'know, even when Zarbon was mean to her Leela still loved him. In fact, she wanted to be just like him. She adored him, he was like a role model to her."
"I didn't think they were that close. She and Silvia don't seem to like him as much as you do." Piccolo said, lying back down again.
"Well, Silvia has this tendency to not let things get to her. We all loved Zarbon, and we were all sad when he died. But we're all very different. It's just the way we are." Maple shrugged. "But... when Zarbon was gonna come round... he and Leela were also gonna try to get along. I mean, we were all adults. It was silly to fall out over some stupid show." she looked at the ground. "... But he never came... and Leela never had the chance to tell him how much she loved him. How much she wanted to be like him... I think that part's the worst..."
"But..." Piccolo sat up. He avoided her eyes as he said spoke, nervous enough as it was. "Maybe... his death was meant to be... and maybe you weren't meant to find out where Vegeta lived until now..."
"Piccolo?" Maple looked at him, shocked. "How can you say that?! His death was meant to be?! What do you mean?!"
"Maple... I'm not usually a strong believer in fate, but..." Piccolo still avoided her. "... If he hadn't died... and if it hadn't taken you so long to find Vegeta... we would never have met..."
"Piccolo...?" Maple stared at him.
"Silvia said you were serious about me -"
"SILVIA?!?!" Maple yelled. "That little - she has NO right to say that!! That is PERSONAL information!!" she turned red instantly. "Uh... Piccolo... I - um..."
"Hey, relax." Piccolo let himself look at her, he was smirking a little. "It doesn't matter."
He turned away again. "Actually, it'll make it easier for me. Because if I know you feel like that too, it'll be easier for me to say..." he trailed off.
"Piccolo?" Maple looked at him. "What?" she asked. "What do you wanna say?"
"Maple...." Piccolo raised his head to speak to her face. "Silvia... meant you love me, right...?"
"....." Maple reddened, and turned away. "She shouldn't have told you that." she frowned.
"No, it's okay..." Piccolo began. "Because...." he reddened, too. "I... uhhh..."
"Mm?" Maple turned her head to look at him.
"I....." Piccolo gazed into her eyes. Maple stared back, awaiting the rest of the sentance.
"I..." Piccolo said. "...." he suddenly leaned forward and kissed her. Maple gasped in surprise as he did. Piccolo pulled away, blushing.
"Sorry. Just a little nervous ^_^;" he mumbled.
"It's okay ^_^" Maple smiled. Piccolo cleared his throat.
"Maple." he took her hands in his. Maple gazed into his deep, black eyes.
"Yes..? Piccolo...?" she whispered.
"... I'm in love with you."