A/n: Just a quick little note this time.  Since they arrive in Loth Lorien, there will be conversation and speech in marks like ::This::  it's supposed to signify telepathy.

Anyway, keep the reviews coming, they make my day and I'll try my damndest to get a chapter out before three weeks have passed.  -.-;;

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Vegeta had not liked the turn of events over the past few days.  Not only had he been sucked into some flippant world where men wore leotards and skirts, but he had been pulled into a mission that he had no business being in.  Sure this place was beautiful, but all around him, Vegeta could feel the underlying evil of the place ready to spill onto the surface and turn all that was green to black, all that was blue to grey, and all that lived to dust.  He had felt the same trickle along his backbone decades before as he gazed fondly on his home planet only days before Freeza had blown it into asteroids and space dust.

He glanced up at Kakkarot as they followed the small band of would-be warriors.  If Kakkarot hadn't been so damned noble all of his life they may have been able to weasel out of it, sparring along the forests and badgering Bulma until she could finally get them home.  Well, so maybe he would have tried to weasel out of it before, but now there was not an Orc in all of Middle Earth that could sway him from his course.  Kakkarot was hell bent on helping these people out of their plight, and even though he would deny it furiously and blast anyone who tried to tell the truth of the matter, Vegeta would follow the younger saiyajin to his death.

The deal with the wizard was a sad one, and Vegeta had realized how deeply it had affected his traveling companions even if he would rather bat them about the head and tell them to suck it up.  Vegeta never talked to the man, only glared at him across the room but the respect the old wizard had gotten just by standing abruptly or sitting a little straighter commanded Vegeta's admiration.  It was no ordinary man that could demand such attentions, even if Vegeta didn't know how important he was to the others.

Now, following the Namek and the Hobbits, Vegeta felt a great wave of weariness flush over him.  Not physically of course, for no saiyajin, much less their Prince, would be weary by simply walking.  The last days had been emotionally trying.  The anger and stoic attitudes were always Vegeta's attributes and would most likely be carved into the stone as it rested on his burial ground, "Here lays a cranky, violent man."  Now, as he looked up at Kakkarot from the corner of his eye, he could only hope that somewhere on that stone was added the effect of the word, 'loved.'

He had come to terms with his attraction to Kakkarot well over two years ago.  He hadn't shared the information with anyone, though he knew that Bulma had her suspicions and even though he assumed she had no issues with the idea, he honestly didn't care if she liked the idea or not because he wasn't about to be swayed by some human female. 

Now looking up at the back of Piccolo's head, Vegeta frowned deeply.  If he knew that Bulma had suspicions, he was damned certain that the Namek did.  Piccolo had kept silent on the matter, and for his sake he had better keep it that way.  Vegeta glared up at the swaying green form and stiffened when the Namek turned his head and smirked down at him.  Vegeta didn't really care if the Namek knew, but he didn't want the moron to start blabbing to Kakkarot about it.  Vegeta wanted to tell Kakkarot in his own due time, and as the time wore on, he was sure it was going to be soon enough.

Vegeta shook his head and suppressed a sigh.  Kakkarot nudged him and Vegeta looked up in mild surprise masked with indifference.  Kakkarot smiled down at him, a sad one that echoed the whole aura that surrounded the group and Vegeta had to restrain himself from knocking the man down and hugging the pain from his heart.

---

Piccolo walked solemnly along with the Hobbits, tuning out their muttering and keeping mostly attuned to his mind and only coming from his reprieve to outside forces to avoid trees, puddles and the occasional stumbling Hobbit.  Legolas had dropped back during a lull and walked quietly beside him for some minutes before realizing fully that the Namek wasn't going to be much company and dropped back a little more and talked to Goku.

The saiyajin was quite happy to oblige the elf in conversation what with Vegeta's grumpy disposition and poor social skills.  At first, Legolas didn't think he would get a chance to speak as the larger man rattled on about how beautiful the land was and comparing it to the forests he had grown up in.  Legolas smiled politely and nodded, catching the vicious glares from the smaller prince now and again.  He realized with quick clarity that the Prince had designs on Goku, even if the other man didn't know that much himself.

"What's it like being an elf?"  Goku asked in wide-eyed curiosity, smiling brightly at the fair elf that strolled along beside. 

Legolas pursed his lips in thought, "I suppose it is no different from being any other creature."

Goku sighed dramatically, "There has to be something.  For me and 'Geta we have awesome strength and speed, even beyond what you've seen here."  Vegeta smirked and narrowed his eyes at the elf.  "Piccolo can—" the Namek in question turned quickly, pausing in his tracks.

"I would prefer if you didn't talk about me while I'm right in front of you."  Piccolo frowned deeply at them.

Goku scratched the back of his head, "Sorry Piccolo."  Piccolo grunted and turned, following the pack again.  Goku leaned nearer to Legolas, oblivious to the seething anger oozing from Vegeta as he did so.  "He's always like that."  Goku whispered.  Piccolo turned his head and Goku laughed guiltily.  Legolas smiled lightly and nodded his head.

 They walked along in silence, Goku still in awe of the slowly thickening trees to their left.  Finally he seemed to have remembered the conversation and smiled again.  "So other than elves being really pretty and having pointed ears, is there something else that makes being an elf fun?"

Vegeta huffed and stalked forward, walking just ahead of Piccolo and the Hobbits.  Piccolo grinned at the back of Vegeta's head and quirked an ear again to listen further to Legolas and Goku.

Legolas shrugged his pack higher onto his shoulder.  "Elves are immortal.  And as they age only grow more beautiful.  They have fluid movement that aids them since many elves live among the trees." 

Goku nodded, absorbing each word like a sponge.  "Is that it?  What about fighting?"

"Elves are known for their skill with the bow, and many with the dagger."  Legolas hopped a little, bouncing the quiver of arrows on his back.  Goku's mouth fell into an 'o' and he beamed again.

Vegeta slowed and came back to Goku's side.  "Enough talking, you're both giving me a headache."

Goku smiled sheepishly.  "Sorry, 'Geta."  Vegeta looked up at him and grunted.  Legolas smiled lightly at both of them and jogged ahead, once again walking along with the men. 

Goku looked down at Vegeta and grinned, "They really are graceful.  Did you see how quick he moves?  It's like he's part of the wind."

Vegeta growled low in his throat and crossed his arms over his chest.  Goku scratched his head.  "What?"  Piccolo snorted and tuned them out again.

Along with the silence, Piccolo again slipped back into his mind, staring amongst the trees and squinting up into the sun-filled sky.  He hadn't been feeling much like himself the last two days.  He assumed that most of his problems were the lack of meditation.  He hadn't had a solid twelve hours of it since Bulma had Goku interrupt him several days before.

Light filtered down through the leaves, making a muted glow among the trees.  It would have been quite a sight had Piccolo been conscious enough to notice.  Something was playing with his head, he could feel it there, like a small tickle in the back of the throat makes one cough lightly but it still remains.  The small tugging in the back of his mind demanded entrance but didn't want to draw any attention to itself.  He could feel Kami there, resting contentedly and Nail lounging as well.  –No confusion should be warranted here, for Kami and Nail both are not as separate beings locked inside the head of our tall hero.  Their memories and mannerisms are stored along with our Nameks.  The fact of them lazing about is only to surmise that their traits were still remaining idle, not part of the problem our weathered warrior is sensing.—

The trees were thickening now, and the group moved cautiously into them, stepping over tree roots and ducking branches.  Piccolo, not quite attentive enough to understand the conversation of Gimli's raving to the others; was also not quite so far gone as he caught Frodo when the Hobbit stumbled over a stump hidden among the moss.  Bad luck for our group that the heightened senses of our alien friend were too attuned into himself to hear the slight abnormal ruffling of the leaves, the small puffs of extra breeze or the quiet sighs that could not have come from a forest animal.  And all too late after Grimli's final grumble of annoyance did Piccolo snap from his stupor and all of the noises we have mentioned fell upon him like a thunderclap.  He pulled the closest two Hobbits to him, and growled low just as a ring of numerous arrows poked themselves from the foliage that surrounded them.

The ring of arrows grew closer, stern elven faces behind large bows and pointed arrowheads.  Aragorn held up his hand, making sure the others would not draw weapons, and spoke loud and calmly to the group of elves.  The circle split at the side, another fair-haired elf strode forward bound tightly in armor with decorations across the chest plate.  The elf lifted his hand and the arrows were withdrawn as quickly as they had appeared.  Aragorn gave him a wide smile and the two embraced roughly—well roughly on Aragorn's end, the elf standing as stone and looking slightly embarrassed.

"Haldir, it has been a long time."  Aragorn smiled at the elf, the procession behind him temporarily forgotten.

"That it has, Estel.  Tell me, what are you doing in these lands?"  Haldir looked quickly along the group assembled, staring openly at Piccolo as he listened to Aragorn's bitter tale.  Even before Aragorn could finish, Haldir held up a hand and nodded his head.

"The Lady is waiting your arrival, she has known you are coming."  Haldir motioned to the troops along the trees and they disappeared quickly, leaving not a trace.

---

The Lady Galadriel watched from a high window as the group wound its way through the trees and into the city.  Her eyes ticked off the number and she frowned softly as she came up one short.  The Fellowship drew closer and she could see Haldir motioning them to the largest of the buildings and led them up a winding stair case up into the canopy of the trees. 

The talan was glowing with soft white light as they entered.  Goku again was in awe of the beauty and remained quite silent and immovable in the doorway.  Thankfully the others had walked ahead of the burly saiyajin, so he remained in the entry, quietly reflecting on the serenity one building could hold. 

The tugging at the back of his mind seemed to disappear, and Piccolo looked around himself in confusion for a moment before remembering that they had entered the city of Lothlorien.  The Lady Galadriel stood before them in a flowing white robe, her auburn hair in ringlet's were pinned up away from her face and held in place with a dainty headdress of silver.  She smiled warmly at them, and then looked down intently at Frodo.  Her smile softened a little and she began to speak to them welcoming them to Lothlorien.

Frodo's eyes were large as the woman spoke, not once did her eyes leave his face.  Piccolo looked warily between the two, not sure what effect the woman had on the Hobbit, but if Frodo suddenly started to walk around zombified toward an open window, Lady or not, Piccolo was going to drop her.

Suddenly the Lady looked away and turned to Piccolo.  Her eyes were intense but not unfriendly.  Frodo was smiling warmly, he didn't look like anything horrible had happened, and he even looked a little refreshed.  Piccolo crossed his thick arms over his chest and frowned down at the woman as her lips curled into the smallest of smiles.  The tug in the back of Piccolo's mind returned, and with it a small tinkling like crystal bells.  Instead of concentrating hard on it, Piccolo let it remain and 'pushed' it forward where it seemed to grow. The Lady's eyes widened marginally, not going unnoticed to Piccolo's sharp watch. 

A soft voice unwound in the chimes, but no…the voice was the sound.  Soft and feminine, it pulsed like the strumming of the low chords of a harp.  ::You are a unique creature.::  Piccolo frowned, the Lady's eyes brightened and she began to speak again to the people around them but it sounded distant like voices echoing down a storm drain.  ::Take no offense, I am just surprised by what I have found locked in your head.  Three lives braided into one.  You have a gentile heart for one who carries such a temper.::  The voice laughed lightly, the sound of rain falling onto leaves.  When she spoke again, the tone had changed into one that would not be ignored.  ::Frodo looks fondly on you, and for that alone you are an important part of this journey.  However, times of trouble lie ahead and you must accept them as they are.  Know that in the end all that you fret for will find its way to you.:: 

The presence pulled away quickly, leaving only a light-headed after tone.  Piccolo shook his head a little and blinked.  Lady Galadriel had moved away from them and was walking towards a far chamber with Frodo following behind nervously.  Piccolo started to follow but a guard quickly blocked the door after the Lady and her guest disappeared through it.  Piccolo frowned deeply, not enjoying the cryptic prediction that was stuck in his head and not being able to watch over Frodo.

Legolas gripped Piccolo's shoulder and motioned him to follow.  They were all led back down the stairs and were branched off; guest talans were prepared to house them during their stay.  The Hobbit's quickly claimed the closest that already housed a platter of food.  Aragorn, Boromir, Gimli and Legolas took the next and Piccolo was stuck with the two saiyajins.

Food was brought almost an hour later, Goku and Vegeta long since gone to hunt, too hungry to wait.  Piccolo took it as an omen that he might actually rest while he was here, but he couldn't sit down and relax until he watched Frodo leave the regal talan and made his way into the Hobbit's quarters.

Piccolo turned to sit and saw the Lady Galadriel in one of the high windows.  She was gazing down toward where the others were resting, though Piccolo couldn't see her face from the distance, she looked as though she was greatly relieved of some large burden.  Her face turned toward him and he just made out the smile that lit on her face before that tingly-itch returned to his mind.

::You should rest.  There are many important events that will happen very soon, you will need what strength you can gather.::  The lady began to turn away when Piccolo, not content with another message to think too hard upon, replied.

::What do you mean?::  The Lady's eyes widened.  ::You keep telling me things but they're too vague.  How am I supposed to rest when everything you tell me, only causes worry?::

A tinkling voice, with the hint of laughter curled in his mind.  ::Do not worry so, I only tell you so that you may keep a level head and aid the others when tough times will fall.  There will be other matters that will have your attention soon, don't dwell too long on what I have told you.::  Galadriel turned from the window and soon disappeared.

Piccolo let out a deep sigh and a small grunt of frustration.  Before he could brew too long over the full headache that was growing at the back of his skull a small rap sounded on the Talan door.

Piccolo turned from the window, pulling the door open and nodded his head in greeting as Legolas stood in the doorway.  Piccolo stepped to the side and let the elf enter, shutting the door behind him.

"Where are your friends?"  Legolas scanned the room with his dark eyes.

"Hunting."  Piccolo moved from the door and sat cross-legged on a cushion across the room.  He rubbed the base of skull and sighed, all the telecommunication and stress of this little escapade was really wreaking havoc with his head.  Legolas sat in a chair across from him and stretched.

They sat in silence, Piccolo kneading unsuccessfully at the knots that started to pop up along his shoulders.  Dropping his hand with a defeated sigh and craned his neck in hopes to stretch the cranky muscles.  Finally, Piccolo looked up to see Legolas trying to hide a humored smile.

"What?"  Piccolo snapped. 

Legolas shrugged.  "Are you having problems with sleeping outside?"  Piccolo quirked an eye ridge in a 'you aren't serious' sort of way.  –For now we must forgive Legolas his ignorance, for we know Piccolo isn't truly a being to speak freely of himself, and Legolas couldn't very well have known that the Namek feels crowded when there is only one other person in a ten mile radius of his vicinity.—

"I don't sleep."  Legolas nodded, not entirely surprised by the answer.  "I live…lived by a waterfall."  Piccolo crossed his arms over his chest and leaned into the wall behind him.  He smirked lightly, "It was one of the few places I enjoy.  It's in the middle of a huge forest."  Legolas listened quietly as Piccolo's eyes grew distant, he was reluctant to make any noise of input for fear the Namek would stop talking.  "The air was the cleanest there than anywhere else on the planet and the water never clouded, not even during heavy rain."

A small quiet chuff came from Piccolo's quirked mouth and he blinked, his eyes instantly clearing.  Legolas smiled lightly.  "It sounds like a beautiful place."  Piccolo nodded.

Piccolo groaned as a new twist of pain knotted another muscle.  "If you are used to resting in the forest, why are you so tense?"  Piccolo said nothing, staring at the wall behind Legolas' head.  Legolas leaned forward, resting his elbows on his knees.  "You're worried." 

Piccolo looked up sharply.  Legolas sat back, his face a complete void of any and all emotion.  "Is it obvious?"  The question had a sarcastic lilt, but Legolas ignored it.

"Something the Lady has told you."  Legolas fell quiet again as Piccolo nodded, but the Namek didn't offer any information and Legolas didn't bother to question him further.

Legolas didn't mind the quiet, part of the reason he didn't mind this new creature was that he didn't get edgy during silences and feel it necessary to fill them with small talk.  It wasn't something that he found annoying with the others, it was simply refreshing to share company without struggling to find something to say that had no relevance to anything.  Beyond that, Piccolo seemed to have sense of great awe and appreciation of the forests, something rare to find outside any of the woodland folk.  Unless of course they happened to be standing in Lorien, everyone who happened to look upon the golden forests had to value them.

Legolas blinked, and realized that he had dozed off for several minutes.  He looked down and saw that Piccolo had crossed his arms over his chest and was leaning lightly into the wall, his breath coming long and steady.  Standing soundlessly, Legolas walked to the door, just as he pulled it open, an audible gasp reached his ears.  He looked quickly over his shoulder and saw Piccolo, eyes wide and gasping, a fat bead of sweat rolled along his forehead and trailed down the bridge of his nose.

He leapt across the sparse furniture and knelt beside the Namek.  "Are you alright?"  Legolas searched his face for pain and only found annoyance and weariness.

Piccolo wiped at his face and grunted.  "Fine."  The echoes of Frodo's cries retreated into his head.

A single line of worry creased Legolas' normally smooth brow.  "What is ailing you, friend?"

Piccolo gave him a wary look.  "I haven't meditated for two weeks."  Legolas sat on the floor in front of him and crossed his own long legs, waiting patiently for him to continue.  "Normally I meditate for hours on end.  Since I've been here, there's been one good night.  And since Gandalf fell…" Legolas nodded lightly.  The silence spanned again, Piccolo trying to ignore the intense gaze from the fair elf –at one point Piccolo had to literally tear his eyes away from the elf's for the sheer force held in his gaze.  It made a feeling of disquiet spread in his stomach, expecting Legolas to leap to movement and do something outrageous.

Legolas openly studied the angles of Piccolo's face, knowing that the Namek was on edge but at the same time not registering his discomfort.  He watched as a drop of sweat rolled gently down the steep plane of his cheekbone and pause on his jaw.  The differences on Piccolo and those things that were such striking similarity unnerved him but also set him at ease.  The seesawing of his mind made Legolas feel a little irritated, he couldn't just classify the Namek and leave it at that, there was always something else that he didn't notice that would push Piccolo into the strange category, only to leave him to find something else that pulled him back to being normal.  Now, with the uneasiness Piccolo felt over the loss of Gandalf, whether it was personal or everyone else's emotion reflecting from him tipped the scale for the final time and Piccolo cemented somewhere in a class by himself, above normalcy into some form of ascended being.

Legolas' smiled lightly, his eyes still tearing across Piccolo's features.  Piccolo frowned, his eye ridges narrowing harshly, giving deep shadow to his bottomless ebony eyes.  "What?"

Legolas blinked, noticing the switch from discomfort to irritation.  He tipped his head slightly.  "There is something about you that will not let me be."  Piccolo's frown deepened, but the roughness left his features.  Legolas leaned forward, clear eyes much closer.  Piccolo could feel his shallow breath across his cheeks.  Tipping a little further, Piccolo tensed but Legolas used the leverage to push himself up and stood.  Piccolo nearly let out a sigh of relief and the twanging of tense muscles relaxed.

Legolas paused at the door again and he smiled, it was haunted and faraway.  "Rest well Piccolo."  He stepped out only to poke his back in again.  "You're friends are back, the trees are relieved."  He grinned, but it too was distant.

The door shut with a soft click and Piccolo's mind spun lazily.  He shook his head to clear away the thoughts that clung like silken spider webs.  He crossed his arms over his chest, his mind clearing of all thought, the Lady Galadriel's words were tucked neatly away where they wouldn't bother him again in the night.  As the darkness of meditation began to dampen the day's events, he unconsciously braced himself for Frodo's heart wrenching scream, but it didn't come.  Instead, Piccolo meditated the full night with silence in his head except for soft breathing that brushed across his cheeks and intense eyes bordered by flaxen hair.

---

When Goku rolled over with a snort the next morning, he found himself falling and cracked open his sleeping eyes in time to see the floor rushing up at him.  With a little 'eep' he hit with a thud and sat up, rubbing at his bruising elbows.  Vegeta was sitting in a chair, stirring a pot over the fire, he looked over his shoulder and snorted.

Stretching, Goku walked languidly over and plopped himself on the floor to the right of Vegeta's chair and rubbed the heat from the fire into his face.  "Morning, 'Geta."  Vegeta grunted, stirred the pot again and settled into his chair.

"Where's Piccolo?"  Goku asked, looking around the open room and finding nothing except the rumpled bed he had fallen out of and the empty table and chairs.

Vegeta had closed his eyes, now he peeked one open and he mentally grinned at how much more innocent Goku looked after waking.  "He's gone into the forest." 

Goku sat a little straighter and turned to look directly up at Vegeta.  "How come?"

"He looked distracted.  Even a little pale."  Vegeta's dark eyes narrowed.  The Namek really did look flushed.  Vegeta wondered if he had gotten ill, but his mind snarled out why he should care and he left the thought alone.

Goku stood up and began to rummage through his bag at the foot of his bed.  Vegeta watched him quietly.  With a yip of triumph, Goku stood, a fresh tunic in one large fist and a worn towel in the other.  "Come on, 'Geta.  We should get cleaned up, I can still smell the blood from that warg all over me."  He grinned.  Vegeta snorted and stood, he was going to argue with the younger saiyajin but his mind quickly realized that it would entail the man being naked and he clapped his mouth shut.  Vegeta swung the pot off of the fire and set it on the floor. 

He pointed at it with the stirring stick, "You don't want to eat first?"

Goku shook his head and Vegeta nearly fell down.  "Naw, we can eat when we get back.  Then it'll be cool enough to eat."

Vegeta cautiously gathered his things, watching Goku warily.  "Are you feeling alright, Kakkarot?"

Goku laughed and scratched the back of his head.  "Sure, 'Geta."  Vegeta snorted and flipped his spare clothing onto his shoulder and pulled the door open.  Goku grinned and walked past him, headed for the river they had stumbled into while hunting during the night.