Disclaimer: Adult language, sexual situations, a pinch of violence, and some hormones too.


Chapter 22

Repressed Discoveries

"Speech" 'Telepathy' Thought

He didn't really pick up on the sounds coming from the kitchen at first, but once the delectable smells started wafting down the hallway and into the bedroom, his mouth watered and his stomach growled, petitioning for him to get up and go investigate the source of the delicious smells.

Sleepily loping down the hallway like a food-zombie, Goku dully noticed Gohan as the young boy followed suit as well and trotted in his pajamas out of his room to fall in line with his father.

"Man, something smells amazing~," the Saiyan sighed wistfully as he rubbed his eyes and stared into the kitchen. "Oh wow!"

Spread out on the kitchen table were plates and plates of breakfast food, almost every kind of breakfast food he'd ever seen in his life – just sitting there waiting to be eaten. Staring in awe, they glanced over at Sofia, who was zipping around the kitchen preparing even more food – checking the oven, the waffle maker, the coffee pot, buttering some toast, pouring orange juice into a glass pitcher, and back at the stove to flip some pancakes before stacking everything seamlessly on different plates before turning and arranging them on the table and any spare surface of countertop.

Looking at the two ravenously drooling Saiyans, Sofia smiled. "Morning! Hope you guys are hungry," she winked, and quickly jumped out of the way when they ran to the table, sat, and began to attack the bounty of food.

"Oh my, what's going on," Chi-Chi yawned as she entered the kitchen before gasping at the sight. "Sofia, you cooked all this?!"

Grinning, she went over to the other woman and offered her a filled plate of food she'd separated for her. "Uh-huh! Figured I'd treat ya'll to breakfast. How was family day yesterday?"

Staring gratefully at the plate of food, Chi-Chi smiled, "It was great. But you didn't have to go through all this trouble—"

"Pffft, no trouble at all! And don't worry," she cut in, walking to the fridge and showing her it was stocked to the brim with food. "I went ahead and stocked the pantry too with the rations Bulma had stored in her supply capsules. Can you believe that woman had all this stuff? I mean, I thought they were just rations, and it's a freaking bonanza of stuff!" She went and pointed at the different appliances that now sat in certain spots on the kitchen counter. "A waffle maker, coffee machine, toaster oven—a freaking blender?! That crazy woman thinks these are the bare essentials! No way I'll ever use these or go through all that food, so figured you guys could, easily," Sofia mused with a simple shrug.

"That's awfully nice of you, Sofia!" Goku offered over a mouthful of syrupy pancakes before gulping down a glass of orange juice and grabbing some bacon. "Thanks!" he offered cheerily while Gohan nodded vigorously with his mouth filled with waffles.

Rushing to grab her in a bear hug, Chi-Chi squeezed Sofia eagerly as she bawled, "Oh you're the most considerate houseguest I've ever had! We're so lucky to have such a selfless and giving and wonderful friend. Thank you, thank you, thank you~!" the woman wailed happily as she swung Sofia around comically.

"Ah, c'mon – it's nothing! There's plenty more of where that came from too, so no worries. Now you guys finish eating, because you'll need it," Sofia offered genuinely and hugged the woman back.

"You're not hungry, Sofia?" Gohan piped up as she retrieved a glass of water and walked over to the living room window, where she floated the glass out to Piccolo, who was sitting under the leafy tree out in the yard.

"Nah, I ate as I cooked," she replied and gave them a wave as she hopped out the window. "Take your time, you guys."

Piccolo was finishing off the water by the time she made it to the tree. 'You're in a good mood,' he mused knowingly, handing her the glass back.

'Am I? Wonder why?' she teased before adding in a sing-song, 'Oh, maybe it's cuz of the most romantic night I had with this amazingly chivalrous hunk and great lay who also rocked my world this morning, and then had his way with me again in a super secluded and steamy hot spring—'

'Rein it in, woman,' he huffed gruffly, but snickered when she batted her lashes at him coquettishly. 'That'll teach you to doubt my ability to make good on our alone time,' he retorted in that gravelly baritone that made her weak in the knees.

'Mmm, keep talking like that, and I'll have to drag you somewhere not-so-secluded so you can teach me some more,' she purred before sexily strutting away back to the house to return the glass, but not before blowing him a kiss over her shoulder, then opened the door and walked in.

Grunting at that, Piccolo fought the sly smirk that wanted to quirk his lips as he went back to meditating.

"Whoa! You guys are no joke!" Sofia gawked when she walked in and found that father and son were currently polishing off the last of the food while Chi-Chi ate daintily. "I wasn't even gone for 5 minutes!"

"Are you kidding? This is them pacing themselves," the woman offered ruefully as she glared at the towering dirty dishes that now sat in the middle of the table.

"Oh no, you keep eating. I'll have everything clean just as quick as these bottomless pits ate," Sofia playfully admonished and to her word, zipped around the kitchen at high speed, flashing in and around the family as she simultaneously rinsed plates, scrubbed pots, wiped the counter, put the egg cartons away, righted the dish rag, and polished the serving spoon before using her telekinesis to put all the dried cutlery away in the drawers.

Balking in wonder at the sight, the Son family exclaimed in awe as the cupboards closed and Sofia dusted her hands off, not a hair out of place or a sweat broken.

Looking over at Goku, Chi-Chi declared, "She's never leaving – she can stay forever and ever!"

They all laughed at that, setting the tone for the start of a great day.


"C'mon you guys, tell me how you did it?"

"We swear – all we did was train really hard. It just came naturally. Honest!"

"But I've trained just as hard and still – look!"

Sofia lifted her Capsule Corp. logoed lavender sweatshirt and showed off her lithe and flat stomach to the two Saiyans, who just blinked and hummed in thought.

"Gee, I don't know – everyone I know who's ever trained always ended up getting 'ripped abs,' like you call them. It's a head scratcher," Goku hummed and scratched his head, while Gohan just shrugged.

"Well, you have a different physiology than us and you're technically not human anymore, so maybe it's just your natural musculature?" Gohan offered very intellectually for an 8-year-old going on 9.

Pouting, Sofia pulled her sweatshirt to slip back down and stomped her weighted boot-clad foot. "I want killer ripped abs like the rest of you. It's no fair!" she goofily whined before sighing and tossing herself down to lie on the soft grass next to the lounging Saiyans as they finished their pre-dinner snacks.

"Are you seriously still carrying on about that?!" Piccolo snapped from his levitating meditative pose, having tuned out the asinine conversation minutes ago.

"Yeah! Don't get me wrong. I loved your brutally harsh and rigorous training regiment, but why didn't I get ripped abs?" she sarcastically goofed, earning a glare from Piccolo. Flipping up onto her feet, Sofia did a silly spin before posing like a model at the end of a catwalk as she mused, "I mean, thanks to the Piccolo 'beat the shit out of you and then blast energy attacks at you' workout, I lost all fat content and learned how to dodge well. Now I'm svelte, and can dance with confidence," and began dancing unselfconsciously, earning hearty laughs from Goku and giggles from Gohan when she grabbed his hand and pulled him into dancing a silly two-step with her.

"Well, if we ever needed someone to dance like an idiot to distract those Androids in battle, I know who to call," Piccolo drawled sarcastically, huffing through his nose when Sofia started to sway her hips in a way that was practiced and sultry.

"It's all in the hips, it's all in the hips, Gohan~," she sing-sung as she kept dancing, cajoling the rhythm-less boy to try and copy her swaying.

"Heeheeheehee, not bad," Goku cheerily complimented before flipping up onto his hands to do some upside down pushups. "Gohan, how about you and Piccolo finish up the day with the last spar," the spiky-haired hero offered, not missing a beat in his pushups while glancing at his son and smiling.

"Ok! You up for it, Piccolo?" Gohan beamed over at his imposing mentor and friend, who landed from his levitated pose and smirked over at the boy.

"Sure, kid."

Sofia sat back down on the soft mossy grass and watched as her little friend and lover flew towards the flat area they'd been using for their sparring sessions that day. Smiling, she let her mind wander over the absolutely glorious 24 hours she'd had. After Piccolo and she had woken up in each other's arms, it wasn't long before they entangled amorously all over again, hungrily kissing and touching until they riled each other into passionate lovemaking. The days of a sexually uninitiated Piccolo were over, and boy did she ever love reminiscing on his fantastic progress when it came to training…in bed. He'd been so attentive and eager to learn just what turned her on, and how to turn her on. She remembered the first time he'd pressed up against her from behind and how desperately impatient she'd been for him to take and dominate her, arching against him and telling him how she wanted him inside of her now. Grabbing her hips, he'd obliged, but since they were new to the position, he pressed his thick and engorged sex against her and Sofia had instantly yelped before squealing skittishly, "Not there!" Snickering internally, Sofia let her mind wander further to the time she'd been trying foreplay on him, touching and kissing him in certain spots and seeing if it'd drive him wild with desire – wanting to learn just where and how to tease him to get him ravenously aroused. Having pushed him down on the bed so she could straddle him, Sofia trailed butterfly kisses along his jaw and cheek while he watched her with hooded eyes and growled in a velvety tone that there was nothing she hadn't done already that turned him on more or less than one kind of touch over any certain kiss. Eyes glowing mischievously from the challenge, she'd leaned up and lightly licked one of his quivering antennae before suckling the delicate appendage into her mouth and moaning around it; bulbous tip caressed by her tongue lovingly. Next thing she knew, Piccolo pounced on her and had her crying out in ecstasy from his wanton and ravenous thrusts as he moaned unabashedly. She definitely learned not to start anything with those delectable appendages unless she was prepared to be ravished for hours.

"You let your mind wander a lot too, huh!"

Snapping out of her raunchy recollections, Sofia nervously laughed as she blushed furiously. "Hahaha, yeah I do, though you'd think after training with Piccolo I would've broken the habit, heheheh," she chuckled goofily and fanned herself.

Rolling out of his upside down pushups to sit next to her in the soft grass, Goku platonically nudged her shoulder. "Oh c'mon, daydreaming isn't a bad habit! It helps you think, uh, better," the amiable Saiyan mused, scratching his chin as he continued, "You can't be serious ALL the time. I mean, sure, you can't always let your brain go off tangent and stuff, but I've gotten some of my best ideas when I let my mind wander a little."

Smiling, Sofia nudged his shoulder back with her own as she retorted, "That's a great point of view. Thanks, Goku."

"Don't mention it…can I ask you something personal, Sofia?"

Blinking over at him, she realized how out of the ordinary that was. Goku would usually just ask a question, too dense to care if the question was too personal, impolite or silly. Glancing up at the Saiyan's eyes, she couldn't help smile. "Sure. Ask away."

"Well…Gohan explained a lot to me – about where you're from and how you ended up being here. I sort of got most of it; the whole being a demon lady in your past life and how you can hop back and forth between our dimension and yours and stuff…but I was wondering if you're gonna stay here permanently?"

Absorbing his question, Sofia glanced back at the sparring match happening across from them in the clearing. "I want to," she began thoughtfully. "There's a lot of convoluted things that've happened, but things are different from like," she paused to whisper, "like Trunks's situation. I was born in my dimension, sure, but technically…I've never really felt like I belonged there. I don't really miss it at all, actually. But I don't know if it's the right thing to stay here, or if I'm supposed to go back. I don't really have anything real to go back to…at least it doesn't feel real after everything I've found out and learned about myself here. Sorry, I guess that's a long way to say I don't know," she smiled sadly at the fighter, who seemed to absorb her words musingly.

"Well, I sort of understand how you feel," the wide-eyed fighter mused, leaning back on his hands as he offered her a reassuring smile.

"You do?" she asked, curious about what he meant.

"Sure! Technically, I'm not from Earth. I came here when I was just a baby, and was supposed to do bad things in the name of my home planet. I was born on the Saiyan home world, but…I'm not from there, you know?" Goku explained. "I've always felt like I belong here. I grew up here, and met all of my friends, started my family here. Planet Vegeta is just where I was born, but it isn't where I became the person I am," he mused, glancing at Sofia when she hummed in understanding.

"So…if planet Vegeta hadn't been destroyed, and you could go there, would you?" she inquired curiously, leaning sideways when Goku pondered and crossed his legs to lean on his elbows.

"Hummm, gee…" he mused out loud, racking his brain. He crossed his arms, brows furrowing in thought for a moment before he resolutely looked up and chirped, "Nope! I don't think I would care to."

Balking, Sofia exclaimed, "Really? Why?"

"Because I don't belong there; at least not anymore. From the moment I bumped my head as a baby, I lost everything that tied me to there. I became a different and better person being from here. There's really nothing for me to go back to even if the planet was still around," he reasoned, scratching his chin as he added, "so, it sounds like it's the same for you, which means you should stay too!"

Staring at him, Sofia couldn't help the rueful smile quirk her lips as she mused, "It's that simple, you think?"

"Uh-huh! I mean, you also changed a lot, literally, since being here, right? Would it even be possible to go back with all the powers and changes you've made? Man, I think if I went to my home world as a Super Saiyan, everyone would lose their minds, and not in a good way…" Goku ruminated before chuckling affably as he added, "But hey, I guess I also think this way because I think it'd be great to have another friend who's a great fighter and an even better person stick around for the long term, so I might just be thinking selfishly."

Deeply touched by the good-hearted Saiyan's words, Sofia pulled her knees up to her chest and smiled, her eyes cresting as she exclaimed, "You? Selfish? Now I know you're just being silly—"

"Nope. Honest! You might feel like you have to go back, but it sounds to me like that's mostly because you think you're obligated to. Whenever I'm stuck on deciding what course to take, I just follow my heart. It'll never steer you wrong," Goku responded smoothly, his genuinely pleasant tone punctuated by his friendly smile.

Feeling reassured, Sofia playfully jabbed his shoulder. "Thanks, Goku. I don't think anyone else could've put it into perspective for me like that," she serenely retorted, adding slyly, "And because you're so awesome, I'll spoil one of my best techniques – show you what I've been working on in secret. I haven't even practiced it with Piccolo. I'd love to try it out with you and see what you think of it."

Jumping to his feet, Goku fidgeted giddily as he exclaimed, "Really? Is it bigger than your Crimson Wave?"

Nodding, she mused, "I think so. The bigger my opponent's attack, the more powerful my technique will be. At least in theory…I haven't tried it against a Kamehame-ha, after all."

Stars of excitement in his eyes, Goku practically swooned with glee as he pulled Sofia up and declared, "Alright! C'mon we gotta try it right now!"

"Whaa—?" before Sofia could complete her reply, Goku used Instant Transmission to teleport them smack dab in the middle of the clearing between Gohan and Piccolo.

The two friends skidded backwards from the sudden arrivals and face-faulted to the ground. "Oops! Sorry, guys! Let my excitement get the best of me. Can we cut in?" Goku chirped affably as Gohan stood and dusted himself off while Piccolo glanced at Sofia, then at his former archrival.

"What're you two up to?" Piccolo mused with a conspiratorial edge to his tone as he stood to his imposing height and dusted his hands off.

Sofia inwardly swooned, checking her roving gaze of his weighted gear-free frame as his muscles flexed with his movement. She diverted her stare when he glanced back towards her. "Oh, nothing really. We're gonna—" Sofia's aloof musing was interrupted by a giddy Goku.

"Sofia's gonna use her super secret technique against my Kamehame-ha!" the Saiyan's smile was so wide his eyes were cresting happily.

Sweatdropping, she elbowed the taller man and snickered, "Jeez, Goku! It's called a super secret technique for a reason. I meant I would show you one-on-one later on."

"Is this the same technique you were practicing the day we left the Hyperbolic Time Chamber?" Piccolo inquired, raising a skeptical brow ridge when she started swaying innocently from side to side, while drawing circles with the tip of her weighted boot into the battered soil.

"Maybe," she mused before phasing out from the middle of the clearing to appear in one corner of the battleground, gesturing for Goku to take the other corner as she chortled in the comical voice of a carnival barker, "Spectators out of the ring! The fighters are about to begin."

Goku giggled and phased to his corner. "Yeah, c'mon – Sofia and I want to try this technique out and take it for a spin," he remarked as he got into his fighting stance, watching as Sofia pulled her sweatshirt in one swift motion and tossed it off to the side.

Now in her fitted black and purple-trimmed sports bra and mid-waist dark blue jeggings, she stretched her limbs and back before digging her weighted boots – which were fashioned in the similar style as Goku's, but just dark purple with black trim – into the loose soil before falling into her unique battle stance; front leg stretched forward with pointed toe, while all her weight rested on her back leg, palms bent outward and close to her torso. She'd been developing her own version of weighted gear that weren't armor-based; thicker, denser weaves that would weigh the equivalent of Goku's blue undershirt, but wouldn't be as constricting or stifling. Since Saiyan armor was too bulky, she'd materialize weighted fabrics that seemed innocuously flexible, but had a density equivalent to the weight of Piccolo's shoulder pads. Her sports bra was the most successful of her weighted gear, as it mimicked the idea of Kyouran's heavy breastplate armor, but still gave Sofia the flexibility and freedom she wanted. She'd also been trying out creating flexible weighted gauntlets, but had opted for going gauntlet-free today. Having spent the latter half of their time in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber training to become faster and more agile, she'd explained to them that she'd continue using weighted gear in their sparring sessions in order not to lose her edge and become as acclimated to the constant extra weight just like Goku and Piccolo have. "Plus, I've always wanted to toss off my weighted gear in dramatic fashion right before a battle gets super serious," she'd quipped, and earned a chuckle from the two unruly-haired Saiyans.

"So, you're gonna pull off your weighted bra in the middle of a battle?" Piccolo had drawled acerbically.

Sweatdropping at her breakdown in logic, Sofia had laughed and retorted, "Uh, no! But whenever Bulma flashed someone, it sure worked as a perfect distraction."

Now, seeing her standing like a fierce otherworldly Amazon ready for battle, Piccolo caught himself raking his stare appreciatively over her curves and lithe belly before lingering on the swell of her cleavage that was concealed securely by the fitted garment. Said sports bra's bodice tapered off at the high point of her abdomen and was held together by mismatched straps that fastened it to her shoulders and ribcage.

'Before you admonish me,' Sofia cut in telepathically when she saw Piccolo's gaze intensify on her as he was about to voice his protest, adding, 'I promise I won't get carried away. I just really wanna see what this technique can do absorbing someone else's energy attack.'

"Humph. Fine," Piccolo muttered and headed to where they'd been lounging before. "C'mon, kid. Best to give them ample room," he gestured over his shoulder for Gohan to follow him.

Once they were the only ones in the clearing, Goku and Sofia sized each other up, ignoring the chirping of birds in the distance and the lazy sway of the breeze as it came down from the mountain range in the distance to cool off the valley and signal the approach of dusk. Said breeze carried a wayward leaf to surf along the air current before it fluttered down into the center of their sparring ground. As soon as the leaf touched the soil, both fighters went at it, appearing as flashes of movement and snaps of light as their blows collided. Sparring earnestly, they let their ki rise and flow within them, a constant buildup that allowed them to charge energy for a finishing attack they'd unleash at the most opportune moment. Sofia avoided his punch and flipped backwards like a graceful feline, using her ki polarity to bank out of the way from Goku's knee before blocking his next punch with her braced forearms.

Piccolo and Gohan watched the sparring session with avid wonder. Gohan's was plainly lit on his face, while Piccolo's was gleaming in his eyes. The promise Sofia showed in being able to spar and avoid being pummeled by Goku was still phenomenal to him. He was floored to watch as she barreled a series of roundhouse kicks that put the haphazardly spiky-haired fighter on defense. It was a source of pride, not to mention incredibly attractive, to see her being so fierce and formidable in battle.

"Wow," Gohan piped as his father and Sofia began to counter every blow the other leveled. Piccolo glanced down at his young friend and smirked. "It's still such a wonder that Sofia isn't even from our dimension, but can keep up with Dad," the raven-haired boy remarked up at the Namekian warrior. "I'm so glad she's with us."

Weighing the young boy's retort, Piccolo glanced back at the battle and remained silent. It wasn't something they'd figured out yet. He'd put off thinking about it until this moment, and it took much effort for him to push it to the back of his mind.

"You ready, Sofia?" Goku inquired in that steely tone of his he'd adopt when in the concentrated zeal of battle, catching her fists in his large palms before grappling her advancing form back a few paces.

"Oh yeah, Kakarot. Give me your best shot!" she grinned before they blasted apart and phased back to their corners of the battleground.

Falling into the fluid kata-like motions she'd come to know as him charging up his signature attack, Goku cupped his hands together and curved his stance as he recited, "Kaaaaaa-meeeeeeh-haaaaaaa-meeeeeeeeeh-HAAAAA!"

The blue energy crackled and whirled like molten heat towards her almost in slow motion. She took a sobering breath, concentrating her own ki to ebb into her aura before honing it to sizzle like pulsating gloves around her hands and creep flaringly up to envelop her arms. Just one shot at this…

The awe-inspiring scintillating energy careened straight at her, and unlike her attack, this was monumentally different in scope and sensation. Goku's energy felt like pure cosmic fire – as if the sun's core had produced the coalescing plasma-like energy wave – but at the same time it didn't burn. It was daunting how the mass of booming power made the atmosphere vibrate. As it cut through the air towards her, Sofia braced herself, spiking all of her energy in a steady pulse down into her arms to catch the mass just as it barreled into her protective aura.

Gritting her teeth, she gripped the incorporeal force as if it was a beam that would pop, the energy's membrane dangerously thin as she began to will her ki to cannibalize the massive wave, little by little. Skidding slightly, she dug in her heels and bared the brunt of the wave by pushing her shoulders back and framing her elbows to be level before pushing her arms against the force. Her spiritual energy began to greedily devour the molten power just as the core of it shattered and bled out of the bubble-thin membrane to flash a burst of brilliantly dazzling flashes outwards.

Dumbfounded, Goku watched with his palms still cupped and outstretched as Sofia seemed to absorb his energy wave, her aura morphing from the vibrant crimson hue to a maroon glow before bursting forth and taking on the similar bright blue of the ki her spiritual energy had cannibalized. When the remaining Kamehame-ha wave flickered and sparked from being absorbed by her spiritual energy-laced hands, her whole frame glowed wildly; energy crackling like electric bolt-like static that licked her aura and dazzled about.

When Piccolo and Gohan recovered from the blinding burst of energy, they stood in shock. Glowing in a vibrantly pulsing aura of violet that enveloped her frame, Sofia stood like a living beacon in the clearing; her hair tossing about from the sheer undulating force her body was housing and warring to keep corked. Her eyes glowed like blazing rubies as she concentrated on willing stability in herself; her frame was shaking as she stood with her hands clenched and her heels rooted into the soil, concentrating on converting the Saiyan's energy attack into power she could redirect before it fizzled out of her.

For the first time, Piccolo could see and feel her power level, and it was disorienting.

"You ready, Goku?"

The Saiyan's eyes went wider than normal and his jaw dropped as he watched Sofia begin to fall into a very familiar stance, cupping her palms and curving her frame to the side as she began to chant, "Kaaaaaa-meeeeeeh-haaaaaaa-meeeeeeeeeh-HAAAAA!"

The powerful attack she blasted was a hybrid of his and her energy, hot and searing like hers, but with the daunting mass and fluidity of his as it coalesced like molten plasma incased in in a lightning-like membrane that careened towards him.

"Whoa!" Goku shouted in surprise as he braced himself to catch his own repurposed attack. Slamming his hands against the beaming wave of blistering energy, the Saiyan realized it was a completely re-engineered attack that he wasn't used to. Not wanting to chance it doing any damage to the area around them by detonating it, he instead drove the force of it upwards before deflecting it with a spike of his ki that he pulsated with a sharp blast through his palms. The energy attack snapped upwards into the sky before it zoomed through the clouds and across the stratosphere just as it detonated with a dull boom that lit the sky in a brilliant array of colors and pulsations that could've rivaled the Aurora Borealis.

"Holy shit!"

Everyone snapped their gaze from balking up at the sky back down and over to Sofia, who was still glowing with that eerie aura. She was staring up and down at her hands, as if trying to rationalize that the destructive force Goku had deflected truly came from her, before glancing across the battle site to the astounded Saiyan.

"Holy fucking hell, Goku! This is the most energy I've ever felt in my entire life!" Sofia shouted with manic enthusiasm, as she hopped around doing a kata sequence at a speed she'd never been able to reach before. "I feel amazing! Nothing can stop me–I'm invincible—!" she paused in her boisterous cheering and supersonic motions suddenly; the feeling of something misfiring flashing in her mind as the energy in her system just flooded over and overloaded her senses. "Hah-uhh—oh shit," she sputtered before wavering and falling backwards in a death drop-like faint.

"SOFIA!"

Piccolo and Gohan sped over while Goku rushed to get by her side as well to check on her. They watched as the two-tone aura fizzled away from her frame and the crackling of energy zapped out to leave Sofia laying flat on her back, completely out cold. At least that's what they thought until she suddenly bolted to sit upright, shaking her head from side to side as if trying to literally shake the overload off before she blinked, raised her hand as if she was about to declare something, then fell backwards again, but this time, with disoriented spirals in her eyes.

Sweatdropping, the three fighters exchanged looks of varying degrees of worry before Piccolo leaned over and shook her. "Dammit, woman! You promised not to get carried away, and you ended up almost blowing yourself up," he snarled as he continued to shake her awake from the disoriented state she was in. "No more of this recklessness. And you!" Piccolo whirled on Goku, who blinked his eyes into a wider shocked stare as his once archrival barked, "You get baited every goddamn time by her into some stupid totally one-sided spar session without comprehending she is trying to impress you and overestimating what she's capable of! Next time she tells you about some fucking secret technique, just know she probably has in no way trained enough or even tested it out adequately enough to withstand a Super Saiyan's power level!"

Bemused, Gohan stared at Piccolo as Goku stood too dumbfounded to retort.

"Awwwwwwwwww, Piccolo is all flustered cuz of little ol'meeee," Sofia hiccupped suddenly, staring at them with hooded eyes and a comical smile as she swooned, "Isn't he the most sweetest thing ever?"

Face-faulting, Piccolo blushed with violent consternation, leaving his emerald features violet as Gohan fell backwards in his cackling while Goku began to nervously laugh.

"I'm sorry, Sofia! I guess I gave my attack way too much juice. But I gotta say, that was AMAZING!" the Saiyan enthusiastically cut in through all the laughter, crouching down to help her stand, catching her as she wobbled a bit. "Please, please, please teach me that technique once you got it down?" he petitioned in that genuinely jovial way of his as he beamed at her.

Recovering from his consternation, Piccolo stood and helped prop Sofia up when she wobbled backwards. "I mean it, dammit. We're all training to get stronger, not blast each other to dust with a recklessly orchestrated technique!" he snapped, an edge of mounting fury in his tone as he glared at Goku.

"I know, Piccolo! I just said she can teach me when she's figured it out and gotten rid of all the kinks," the haphazardly spike-haired fighter pouted, before cutting conspiratorially to Sofia, "I noticed a couple of things you can do differently next time that might prevent the power overload. I think with practice, you could totally absorb even a Super Saiyan Kamehame-ha!"

"You think so, Dad?" Gohan gasped in wonder, staring up at Sofia, who was currently still out of it, smiling almost drunkenly at Goku before what he said finally registered.

"I'll be a bootleg Super Saiyan biter who jacks all the power, muahahaha~," she prattled with a silly sigh before yawning and leaning fully on Piccolo now, who glanced down at her with a scowl. "Su-pah Saiya-jin Sofia," she mused as she fell asleep for a moment, before Piccolo nudged her awake again with a firm shake of her shoulder. "I'm awake! Don't put me in the cold bathwater!"

Sweatdropping, Goku and Gohan burst into laughter all over again as Piccolo scoffed and whisked the disoriented Sofia into his arms. "She's still clearly fried. Let's call it a day," he grumbled as Sofia blinked at him and at the others.

"Yeah, sounds good. Plus, it's dinner time!" Goku remarked merrily as he and Gohan rushed to collect their things from the hill they had taken their break on. When they returned and joined Piccolo in ascending to the air, Goku suddenly asked, "Oh yeah – what's that technique called?"

Sobering, Sofia smiled broadly at Goku and declared, "Livewire Mode!"

"Ooooooh" Goku and Gohan hummed in awe, the name quite fitting, all considering.

Rolling his eyes, Piccolo groused, "Well you'll be keeping that mode off until you work on honing it, understood?"

Nodding vigorously, Sofia wrapped her arms around his neck and drawled, "Yes sir, my yummy Namekian stud muffin."


Gohan watched from the living room window how the sunset slowly flirted with ebbing into full dusk, enjoying the soft breeze that whizzed by. His mother was keeping busy by crocheting a scarf for the upcoming winter, while his father and his mentor were unwinding from the day out in the yard.

In the distance, he could faintly see Sofia's silhouette – still lounging in the soft grass of the valley, quietly relaxing to the music produced by her trusty boombox.

After they'd laughed hysterically at Piccolo's expense all the way home, the four fighters had enjoyed a pleasant dinner together before Sofia had been forbidden from doing the dishes and was instructed by Chi-Chi to go relax at once; having been told by an enthusiastic Goku of the exerting feat she'd accomplished. Reluctantly, Sofia had excused herself to go unwind out in the cool air.

Gohan had come to know Sofia very well. He knew that while she enjoyed spending time with them, just like Piccolo, she sought out moments of solitude. Unlike his former sensei, however, her form of meditation was listening to music. It was an escape that allowed her to achieve quiet reflection, even if the music was nowhere near quiet and relaxing to others. It was as if the louder and more turbulent the music was, the more it calmed and centered her. He'd asked her once how she could feel relaxed when the music sounded like angry chaos, and she'd smiled. "It helps me tune out the world. The loud heavy feelings it invokes sorta…I don't know, mellows me out?" He'd been confused, but after watching her from a distance, Gohan realized that in her life, she must've used music as an escape – an outlet where she could expel her rage and transform it into reflection. Listening to chaos helped her absorb the chaos of the world, and be able to not only function in it, but make peace with it, no matter how much sadness or isolation she had to endure. She rarely spoke of that side of her life, but like Piccolo, he knew there was a lot of pain she'd struggled with. Their combating of that darkness had been different, sure, but it didn't mean she didn't still deal with it in some way and strove now to be a better, more focused person who saw the good more than the bad.

Now, her penchant for all things loud and booming didn't mean she didn't listen to other kinds of music in her moments of silly fun with him. She'd shared her vast catalogue of music and knowledge with him, and he'd bee surprised to find everything from classical music, to happy-go-lucky pop music in her collection. There was even music that seemed to be her go-to soundtrack when she would train her kata and formations by herself. "Ah, my dear boy, this is punk rock!" she'd stated with glee over the rhythmic yet thrashing guitars and battering drums; definitely a lighter fair than the 'harder' rock he'd heard her play previously, but only after watching her bop her head in time to the tempo and tap her foot in time with the drums did he realize this was the kind of music that put her in a concentrated zone. She enjoyed the irreverent and fast-paced hard-edged melodies that seemed to pump her up and focus her in her flurried training. Piccolo would bunch his shoulders up around his ears and stalk off to be as far from the noise as possible while Gohan and Goku would sit and watch her go into her dizzying volleys and improvised parries as she would come up with new combos on the spot. "It helps pump me up – like revs my concentration so I can visualize what I wanna do way before I do it," she'd explained after one session she ended with a fluid set of vaults, pirouettes and volley-like dancing before flipping and jumping nimbly, tossing her hair and falling into swaying as she bopped her head in time to the waning song.

He'd asked her how she came about her vast collection, and she'd explained how she'd do chores around the neighborhood, babysit, even make CD playlists and sell them to the other kids at her school. All just so she could save up and buy everything she had. "It took me almost a year to save up for the boombox," she'd mused as she patted the trusty musical device almost lovingly. "And the albums came along little by little. Next thing I'd been saving up for is way too pricey…it'd take a couple of years of babysitting and mowing lawns to get it, but hey," she'd shrugged before her smile faltered and her gaze wandered over to the horizon, getting lost in thought.

For a young boy, Gohan was intuitive and observant in a way that most adults were too self-centered to be. In those moments when her eyes would dim in faraway thought, he knew his friend was repressing some feeling that he'd never felt. They were short-lived, but he often wondered if there was any reason for her to go back to her dimension if all that would greet her was an isolating and lonely life – one she'd escaped to instead thrive in this realm, surrounded by friends that welcomed her like family.

Looking over his shoulder, he saw his mother had fallen into a light doze, hands in mid crotchet over her lap. Sneaking over, he placed a blanket around her gently, managing to not stir her awake. Tip-toeing to the window, he hopped out, and scurried across the lush valley, not noticing that Goku and Piccolo were watching him from their vantage point – sitting on the roof of the raven-haired fighter's childhood home. The two fighters watched Gohan head over to where Sofia was relaxing, and continued their conversation after a few silent moments.

"I did notice how after she'd absorbed my attack, I could sense her power level for the first time. It was super weird…" Goku continued where'd they'd left off.

Grunting, Piccolo replied, "Did you figure out what made it weird?"

"I think so…it was almost like I was sensing myself, but not really. I think my energy was sort of enveloping hers in a way that…I guess in a way that revealed the scope of her own power?"

Nodding, Piccolo mused, "I always assumed her power level would be on the same level as mine, at least. But…if that was a glimpse of her true untapped potential…"

"I wouldn't even know how to measure that. I guess it'd be…maybe somewhat on the same level as Trunks's?" Goku whispered, almost surprising himself when he realized how shocking that would be if it was truly the case.

There was a tense pause between them while Piccolo contemplated what Goku had said. Other than replicating the same conditions in which they were able to sense her, there was no way to know for sure. He wasn't keen on encouraging that technique anymore after seeing the side effects of it going haywire, so he pushed the concern to the side. "There's another way to sense out her power anyway. It's not the best, but if I trained to focus on it more—"

"What do you mean? I've sparred with her tons, and she's never given off a way to sense her," Goku curiously glanced at the imposing warrior.

"It's only really happened once. When she leaks her ki outward during battle, it can give off some residual reverberation – sort of like when you strike a tuning fork. It's incredibly faint, so trying to hone in on it just expends too much attention and energy. I only figured it out when I sparred with her while blindfolded," Piccolo explained, earning an awed grunt from Goku.

"Whoa…yeah, that sounds like a lot of work just to sense her. Luckily she's on our side, huh," he mused irreverently, that damnable easygoing grin quirking his jovial expression.

Piccolo tersely sighed. "Yeah – you don't want to end up on the opposite side of her. That was one fight I don't want to repeat again."

Humming, Goku changed the subject. "I had no idea you two spent all that time in the Hyperbolic Time Chamber. I remember not being able to last a while in there. It was so…daunting," he mused thoughtfully, lying back against the smooth roof shingles as he crossed one leg over the other and propped his hands behind his head. "You're a really good teacher, Piccolo," the affable man chirped, earning a grunt from the other warrior.

Sitting with a knee propped against the lip of the roof and with his arms crossed, Piccolo watched as Gohan began to try sneaking slowly up to Sofia, who was resting on her back with her forearm across her eyes. "Anybody can be a decent martial artists if they're antagonized hard enough," he acerbically quipped, glancing sidelong at Goku when he quirked his brows derisively at that.

"Not true! Don't be modest. Gohan is a great fighter and has learned a lot more from you than I could teach him—"

"That's because you've been dead and lost in space for a good chunk of his life, Goku," Piccolo cut in dryly, earning a goofy chuckle from the Saiyan.

"I'm being serious, Piccolo. Before Raditz, he was scared of his own shadow. Gohan is smart and brave, and focused now—all those things are because of your influence. I can see the same with Sofia. Sure, she started at a different point, but from what Gohan's told me, I can see your time training together has probably made her a much better person on top of being a great fighter—"

"She was always a good person. Just…misunderstood. And ridiculously immature," Piccolo mused, adding, "Well, she's still a bit immature; all those damned silly things she comes up with—"

Goku was already giggling in that irreverent way of his as he was reminded of her disoriented flirtatious remarks at the Namekian warrior's expense. "Ooooh, you're her yummy stud muffin, Piccolo," Goku sing-sung before having to stifle his goofy chuckling after receiving Piccolo's cold death glare. Gulping, he changed the subject yet again. "Well, I'm excited to see what else we can all learn from each other. I told her today I think she shouldn't feel obligated to leave—"

"What?" Piccolo stared him down. "When—?"

"Hey, don't worry. It was a good talk. I know she's probably feeling torn, but I'm not worried. We all want her to stay. It's up to her to figure out what is best for her, right?" Goku offered earnestly, nodding resolutely when Piccolo blinked at him and grunted in agreement.

Damn…Son is actually right. It's her decision. I…want her to stay, regardless of everything that would push her to having to return to her dimension. But, it's her decision…


The music was low enough not to disturbingly echo throughout the valley, the rock melody still able to help her zone out. She was still recovering from the residual surge of having absorbed Goku's massive power, which had been disorienting and exhilarating all at the same time. The charge of wayward ki skittered across her skin and warmed her body against the chill of the approaching night air as she inhaled a calming breath and expelled it slowly. Currently, she was replaying her conversation with the good-hearted Saiyan from earlier, unable to not feel humbled that someone so selfless and legendary would cherish her friendship.

She heard the soft rustle of some grass before she rolled and caught Gohan's hand as it went to crank up the volume of her boombox. "Don't even try it!" she goofily admonished before he playfully pulled his hand away and pretended like he was only dancing to the sounds coming from the boombox.

"I wasn't! I'm just moshing," the young demi-Saiyan goofed as he wiggled about in a completely rhythm less fashion.

Laughing, Sofia jumped up and started to mimic him. "Dude, this is flailing, not moshing! It takes two to tango, and way more than that to mosh appropriately. Have I not taught you the basics of rock history?!" she joked before taking a rock power stance and playing air guitar in time to the solo of the song currently blaring on the boombox at her feet.

"Oh yeah! But it's hard to remember. Rock dance party?" Gohan suggested cheekily as he started to pantomime playing the drums.

Snickering, she remembered the first time she'd let Gohan peruse her collection of music, asking him to pull out the first album that struck his fancy. When he pulled out the CD and handed it to her, Sofia had grinned from ear to ear. Popping the album in her boombox, she'd instructed him to punch in track 4, telling him that particular song should be a Z Fighter anthem before any battle. Curious, Gohan had pressed play on the track, and had his mind blown after the first few bars of innocuous synth played before kicking into a brash and boisterous rock explosion.

"Alright! How about a lil Andrew W.K.?" she asked, using her telekinesis to pop the boombox open, swap out the CD and levitate the aforementioned album from its case.

"YEAH!" Gohan cheered, having come to enjoy that artist's first album the most of all the music Sofia had let him peruse during their down time when they could just spend time being goofy friends.

Popping the album into the player, Sofia cranked the music and went into a fitful and unselfconscious dance session, joined by Gohan. It was a great way to blow off steam and have silly fun – trying to one-up each other one move after another until the song hit its zenith, then they'd branch off into their own dance interpretations to the beat.

Watching from a distance, Goku and Piccolo snorted and giggled at the sight as the two younger fighters rocked on like the only audience members at a wild concert. Shaking his head ruefully, Piccolo grumbled, "See what I had to put up with? Now she's got Gohan in on it too."

"Heeheeheehee – aww, c'mon, Piccolo. They gotta have fun sometime. Let 'em live a little," he chortled, snapping his fingers slightly offbeat from the rhythm of the song as it echoed dully over to them.

Huffing with gruff amusement, Piccolo couldn't submerge his lopsided smirk as he watched them continue to dance around and laugh happily. Gohan's rhythm was something to behold, and while Sofia tried her best to train the little fella, he just had two left feet when it came to dancing. She, however, had moves that always mystified him. They could be zany and quirky, luscious and practiced, or even nimble and graceful depending on her mood. It was a wonder to watch her when she combined all of the above in one dance session. If there was a World Dance Tournament, she'd surely wipe the floor with the competition.

"WHAT'S ALL THAT RACKET?!"

Freezing, everyone paused and looked warily over at the open front door of the cottage, where an annoyed Chi-Chi stood, tapping her foot impatiently as she shot a stern look and hollered for everyone to get their butts back in the house and call it a night.

Laughing nervously, Gohan and Sofia packed everything up in a hurry and scurried back to the house, apologizing profusely to Chi-Chi all the way in while she authoritatively marched back in with them. "You too, Goku! Get your butt in here and get ready for bed!" she bellowed out the door before slamming it shut.

Wincing, Piccolo kept his shoulders bunched up by his ears while Goku sweatdropped and nervously giggled, scratching the back of his head as he chortled, "Well, guess the party's over. See yah tomorrow, Piccolo!"

With that, he slid off the roof, and ambled happily over to his family home, offering an enthusiastic wave over his shoulder at his former nemesis.

Sighing, Piccolo stood on the roof and was about to take off, when Sofia purred telepathically, 'Wait up for me? I'll meet you at our spot.'

'You should call it a night after overdoing it today—'

'I want to call it a night with you. Please?' she cut in affectionately.

Wearing him down, he mumbled wryly, 'Alright…'


The twilight sky was dusted with glimmering stars on the cloudless night, a beautiful tranquil sight overhead as they lounged in their secret spot overlooking the slumbering valley that stretched out almost infinitely under the cover of darkness.

Tilting his head sideways, Piccolo mused in a husky tone, "You sure you don't want me to do this? I didn't exactly overload my muscles today, you know."

Snickering, Sofia kneaded the tension out of his upper back, squeezing her knees against his sides affectionately as she rubbed a certain spot between his shoulder blades that made him hum with approval. "I'm fine. Even with Livewire Mode leaving me haywire, you're the one all stressed out. All your worrying causes more tension in these firm muscles of yours. You're carrying it like you have thousands of pounds in those shoulderpads you wear," she mused smoothly, caressing his back with her fingertips before trailing them down the line of his spine as she added in a purr, "Plus, having your hands on me would be too much of a turn on…"

Shivering, Piccolo turned, leaning provocatively against her as he growled, "Quit teasing, or I'm putting my shirt back on—"

"Alright, alright!" she cajoled, gesturing for him to turn back around so she could continue massaging his back. When he acquiesced, she rubbed the muscle that joined neck to shoulders, earning a slow soothed growl from him as he bowed his head and enjoyed the doting treatment from his twin star. "I had an interesting talk today with Goku—"

"I know."

Pausing, Sofia's eyes became little skeptical dots as she mused, "Were you eavesdropping again?"

"No. He told me about it after dinner," he responded stoically, huffing through his nose as he relaxed further under her ministrations. "What did you think of his advice?"

Pondering for a moment as she continued to massage the tension out of his shoulders, Sofia glanced up at the sky, watching some stars twinkle brighter than others. "It was very reassuring…just don't know if it could be that simple."

Weighing her remark, Piccolo found himself wanting to say how much he wanted her to stay, and that it could really be that simple. Chewing the inside of his cheek, he inhaled and huffed out instead, "I think that's only for you to decide."

A silent pause greeted him before her hands lingered on his shoulders. Caressing the taut pink patches, she murmured, "Do you want me to stay?"

Turning, Piccolo's eyes intensified for a moment. He contemplated her expectant expression, softened by the starlight overhead as her eyes gleamed at him.

Surprising her by taking her in his arms and rolling so they'd be lying in a softer patch of lush grass, Piccolo loomed over her – his arms framing her under him as he gazed purposely into her wide-eyed expression.

"I want you to be happy." Her eyes softened at hearing that, so he forged on, "I…want to make you happy. But, it's not my decision. I know we've put off dealing with it…but for me, I don't…I don't want you to leave," when she caressed his cheek, Piccolo huffed through his nose, and gazed into her eyes. "It's your decision to make."

Sofia felt the lump in her chest tighten into a knot, the conflict of emotions she felt overwhelming in the moment, until he leaned close and kissed her tenderly. Her heart leapt in her chest when he parted from the kiss and caressed her cheek, brushing rogue strands of hair away from her face.

She felt it all coming to a head in that moment, and regardless of the insistence her mind yelled that she make a decision, her heart didn't want to listen. Instead, she leaned up and murmured in Piccolo's ear, "Can I decide tomorrow?"

Grunting with humor at that, Piccolo nodded, rolling to lie next to her in the grass. She sidled up against him, resting her head on his shoulder as he encircled her waist with his arm while he propped his free forearm behind his head. They relaxed next to each other and simply watched the stars and listened to the chirping of crickets deep in the lush forest for a long while.

When Sofia felt her eyes fluttering sleepily and her body began to doze in the tranquility and calm, Piccolo stirred her back awake by muttering softly against her temple, "You can't fall asleep out here."

"Mmm, yes I can. Watch me…" she protested goofily and snuggled him. Piccolo scoffed, but ended up chuckling warmly deep in his chest when she nuzzled him under his jaw.

"I'm serious. After your tawdry comments today, you can't give Son any more suspicions – strolling into the house after being out with me all night definitely won't be something that'll go unnoticed," he drawled aloofly, earning a dismissive huff from her as she sat up and raised an amused eyebrow at him.

"First off, they can't sense me, so how would they know I was out with you, hmmmm? And secondly, we're talking about Goku here! Unless he caught us both at an all you can eat buffet wearing matching "We're totally boning!" shirts, I don't think he'd be suspicious about anything," she retorted and lounged on his chest.

Rolling his eyes, he stretched out, putting his hands behind his head, as he purred, "You're really that impatient for alone time after last night?"

Batting her lashes at him, she kissed his bare chest and mused, "You were the one saying to stop teasing earlier. You're gonna go there now?"

"I'm not. Just reminding you that all good things comes to those who wait," he offered confidently, shrugging debonairly.

"Are you implying I'm too smitten with your sexual prowess – that I'm insatiable and can't keep my hands off of you, Mr. Sexy Stud Muffin?" she teased, her voice taking on that smoky timbre that heated his blood.

"I'm saying if you stay out here, I might not be able to keep my hands to myself much longer, and when we're M.I.A. in the morning, that'll certainly force us to do a lot of explaining I don't think either of us are ready to deal with," Piccolo husked, sitting up to lean back on his hands as he regarded her with a searing look that sent an excited flutter into her core.

Biting her bottom lip, Sofia huffed in frustration and stood, glaring comically down at him as she muttered, "I wouldn't care if they found us in the throes of hot, steamy passionate sex with you dominating me right here and now in the grass, but nooooo, I'm being all demure and secretive to humor my prudish and totally bashful—"

Piccolo was on his feet and backing her up into the closest tree before pulling her against him and devouring her in an ardent kiss, hands possessively caressing her body before gripping the firm curve of her backside as he pressed against her. Gasping a hearty sigh of pleasure, Sofia gripped his shoulders when he pulled back and gave her the most seductive look before squeezing her derriere and rumbling against her lips, "And I appreciate your consideration and discretion on my account…so, do me a favor and quit teasing me, would yah."

Feeling weak in the knees, Sofia pulled him down for a kiss and playfully shoved him back before it became too torrid, the blush and appreciative gaze she gave him speaking volumes as she thought, Oh man…waiting until we can be all alone overnight is gonna be one hell of an exercise in impulse control…but at least I won't be the only one.

"Fine," she purred sultrily. "I'll call it a night, but just remember how incredibly accommodating I am, when I could be really demanding of you instead."

Grunting at that, he watched her as she went to saunter past him, but couldn't help getting the last word as he playfully pinched her butt and earned a surprised gasp. "Trust me. I'm real appreciative."

Scoffing, Sofia laughed with true mirth, really relishing his rare flirtatious and naughty side. Smiling affectionately at him as she phased over to give him a goodbye peck on the lips, her eyes glowed in the night warmly at him after handing him his shirt she'd levitated into her grasp. Pulling the shirt on, he walked with her to the edge of the cliff side that overlooked the valley, and let her slip from his grasp as she levitated upwards before shooting him a sexy wink and flying towards the Son cottage.

Snorting, Piccolo huffed a long sigh. Next time, I just might take her up on her offer, right here and out in the open…


She'd snuck back into the house as quietly as she'd snuck out, but the moment her head hit the pillow, her mind began to wander and fixate. The events of the day washed over her before her recollections replayed everything she'd experienced since crossing the threshold of her mirror to enter this dimension. Their dimension…

Sofia felt compelled to sit up and glance out the window at the starry sky, wondering if it was too late. No…I gotta go and just get it over with. Her thought spurred her to grab her small backpack and sneak back out of the house, where she snapped her fingers to materialize a pair of jeans and a long-sleeved shirt onto her form before pulling on her weighted boots and taking off into the night sky for the coordinates she'd been long overdo to return to.

As she flew, she felt the anxiety she'd been suppressing for weeks begin to well in her chest. Pushing the panic away, she propelled more ki into her bloodstream and shot off higher into the clouds. The higher she went, the more she could see the curve of the horizon as it glowed with the slowly advancing dawn that was cresting on the opposite side of the Earth. When she saw the monolithic tower that ascended upwards into the sky towards the base of the Lookout, Sofia swallowed and exhaled a cleansing breath out of her nose before shooting off to begin making the ascent towards the palace in the sky. The wind whipped strongly around her as she cleared a bank of starlit clouds before she let herself free fall and land in a soft crouch onto the tiled courtyard. From so high up, night around the Lookout resembled peaceful twilight. The stars dimly illuminated her way as she crossed the center of the courtyard towards the impressive palace. When she reached the main entrance, she hesitated, second guessing if she was doing the right thing, when her ruminating thoughts were interrupted by a serene voice.

"My my, you're quite early, child."

Sofia turned towards the alcove that led towards the same interior courtyard she'd spoken to Kami in what seemed like ages ago to her now, and was greeted by the smiling Guardian of Earth as he ambled over towards her.

"I'm sorry…I figured you'd be expecting me. This visit's been overdue," Sofia replied, her smile not really reaching her crimson eyes.

"I owed you some answers to questions you had tabled for later…but that's not what you're presently worried about," Kami mused, reading her faraway gaze when she glanced away and sighed.

Shaking her head, Sofia inhaled a sobering breath before pushing all her feelings deep down in order to let her features go into the stoic mask she'd trained herself to use her whole life for moments like these.

Nodding thoughtfully, Kami gestured with his trusty staff towards a corridor just off to their side as he sagaciously mused, "Come. Popo and I prepared a room."

Hanging her head, Sofia followed the elder counterpart of her twin star as he led her down the almost ethereally lit corridor before ascending a staircase into a wing of the Lookout seldom visited by anyone. As they approached a turn, Kami ventured a glance at her, and saw how she was staring down at the tile as they walked. He could sense her thoughts were turbulent, so he patiently waited for her to glance over and follow him around the turn before continuing to lead her to the end of the hall towards the front of a large wooden door.

Turning the handle and pushing the door to swing slowly open, he remained at the threshold, so Sofia glance over at him before looking into the room. It was a large interior room with no furniture – just polished marble white tile and walls that were illuminated by the twilight glow of the skylight above and the large door-less balcony that filtered a soft breeze and starlight into the large room. Standing in the middle of the room was the large mirror she'd bought at the antique store – her way back to her own dimension. The surface of the mirror glinted from the starlight that came in from the skylight overhead.

"It feels like ages since I last saw it…" was all she could muse as she wandered into the room towards the mirror, walking around it as if she wasn't sure it was the right one.

"I'll be here if you need to talk after."

Glancing back at the door, she saw Kami beginning to leave. She opened her mouth to stop him, but changed her mind and simply watched him walk back down the corridor they'd come from. Sigh…well, guess I gotta figure out how to make this work, she thought dully as she glanced back at the mirror. Her own reflection greeted her when she approached it. Her red eyes roved over the surface, almost expecting to see Kyouran's spectral image appear and guide her, but she never came. Instead, Sofia just ended up staring at the mirror as she recalled all the trials and tribulations she'd endured up to that point, remembering specifically how when she still had the necklace, it would act as not only her leash, but activated the magical bending of the mirror image before it would fluctuate and open the portal-like threshold between her world and this one. There's no more necklace…but what was in it is in me now. I should have the power to make this happen…

Sofia stared at the mirror's surface as she began to concentrate willing the reflection to change. She saw, for the first time, as her eyes seemed to almost glow in the darkness, a vibrant crimson glow that reminded her of how Kyouran's eyes glowed when she was masquerading as Kitsune no Aka. It was eerie to see, but before she could get hung up on the phenomenon, the mirror began to ripple.

She watched as the surface began to shift, her reflection disappearing to be replaced with that of her bedroom. Taking a deep breath, Sofia stepped through the threshold, feeling the odd sensation of traversing through realms acutely now that she wasn't wearing the necklace and the power to hop dimensions was solely her own, skin deep. Emerging in her room, she turned and watched her mirror remain a rippling surface that still showed the other dimension on the opposite side; seemed to beckon her to reconsider.

Frowning, she turned and faced her room, glancing about and finding it had remained in the same condition as she had left it. She looked out the windows and found early morning twilight slowly advancing – dawn seeming to quickly approach. She could hear the garbage truck humming down the street. Realizing that a few weeks in the other realm must've equated to a few days in this dimension - she'd left early in the week and the garbage truck didn't come until the end of the week – Sofia wondered if she'd even been missed. Cautious, she phased towards the door of her room and carefully opened it, peeking out and realizing the house was quiet. No one was awake; at least not yet.

Feeling overwhelmed, she went and sat on the edge of the bed, pouring over all the 'what ifs' and concerns she'd been bottling up until now. I'm a tall, red eyed chick now. That's gonna be pretty noticeable. If I was a freak before, I'll definitely be one now. She looked up at the mirror, and didn't see her reflection. There's a whole other world I'm part of now, but I…

Faltering, she shook her head and huffed.

"Screw this," she grumbled and stood, glancing about the room again before leaving and soundlessly going downstairs. Hustling over to the computer desk, she retrieved a pen and a blank sheet of printer paper before sitting down and composing her thoughts. It was very hard for her to even articulate what she was feeling or what to write, but after taking a cleansing breath, she shut her eyes and sighed. Just…let it go.

Composed, she put her thoughts to paper, and began to write in cursive the things she'd felt and thought; stopping short of letting her heart pour out her hopes as well as any of her anger and resentment. Sitting back, she read it over once, and thought it was the best she'd be able to do. Sighing, she signed the bottom and stood, leaving the letter on the keyboard and returning up the stairs, avoiding the urge to go to the backdoor and see Prince, who was sleeping out on the patio, none the wiser.

When she entered her room, she looked about and decided to pack a few things, tossing clothes and other belongings into a pile on her bed before digging for some other cherished items and necessities. Finding all the things she cared about, including a pair of headphones, her secret stash of saved money, and a battered Walkman CD player, she encapsulated them and returned the capsule case for safe keeping to her backpack. Centering herself, she took one last look around before turning back to the mirror and seeing it was still reflecting the other dimension. I control my own destiny. If I want to, I can set my path, and I don't want to set it here.

With that, Sofia hopped back through the rippling surface to emerge on the other side, gripping the strap of her backback as she glanced backwards to watch the mirror's surface calm and flatten before reverting to dormancy. Her resolute expression was reflected back to her when she stepped back in front of it and breathed a sigh of relief.

Her letter had been short, and sweet.

I never knew why I didn't seem to fit here. I found out I was never meant to. While I know I wasn't the person you expected or wanted me to be, I still thank you for taking care of me the best way you knew how. I'm leaving to start a new life. We'll most likely never meet again, but I wish you all the best. Be happy. –Sofia

It took a lot for her to write that without letting the sadness and resentment bleed through. However, she felt a sense of peace she'd never thought possible flood her now as she took one last look of the mirror before walking out and closing the door behind her.


She sensed him, and followed her instincts as she walked through corridors until she found the walkway up to the east tower of the Lookout, where he was currently on the balcony placidly watching as the horizon began to glow with approaching dawn. As she approached, she thought of all the questions she'd had back when she and Piccolo had left the time chamber. She wasn't sure what questions to ask first, and as the sage being before her had a knack for being a great listener, she found herself strolling up to where he stood in order to stand beside him.

"You knew my choice before I was even sure I was making it," Sofia mused, crossing her arms as she idly stared at the horizon.

"I'm not all knowing, but it was easy to guess. You've grown and really come into your own here. I wasn't sure your dimension would be a place you could return to and still continue to become the person you were destined to be—"

"Hasn't that already happened? I'm transformed – what Kyouran was, I am now, so what else is there?" Sofia interjected, giving the elder a sidelong glance.

"Just because you've transformed, doesn't mean you're finished growing, Sofia," Kami mused, smiling at her as he gestured for them to sit and chat.

Eyeing him, Sofia relented and went to sit at the small wooden table that was off to the side of the patio-like bungalow, waiting patiently for Kami to join her before finally huffing a sigh. "I don't even know where to start. So, you're saying I'm destined to continue changing and growing—"

"We all are, Sofia. Everyone is destined to adapt, change and grow. We don't just plateau. There's still a lot for you to learn about yourself," Kami mused and smiled when she sweatdropped skeptically at him.

"Oh, c'mon – you mean figuratively? I know that, Kami!" she barked and sat back in her chair, crossing her arms tightly together. "Oh, and that reminds me. This is it, right? I'm transformed completely into the being I'm supposed to be?"

Nodding, Kami retorted, "You are physiologically at the same level that Kyouran was. But as you know, that doesn't mean there aren't other levels of power you can't achieve. Look at Goku. He's reached the level of a Super Saiyan…and something tells me that isn't the only feat he'll reach as he continues to strive to become stronger. The only thing you're 'destined' to do is continue to reach new heights in your growth as a person and warrior."

Absorbing that, Sofia relaxed in her seat. "Well then, is it okay for me to ask you other questions?" when Kami nodded for her to proceed, she continued, "I know you wrote that scroll before you blocked out your memory of Kyouran, but do you remember what happened after she was killed? I mean, I was wondering about just what happened in general…"

Nodding thoughtfully, Kami closed his eyes and concentrated his recollections before reaching over the countertop and offering his hand to her. Blinking at the gesture, Sofia took Kami's hand and followed his lead, closing her eyes and calming her thoughts.

'Since these events happened after Kyouran's demise, I thought it best to reveal the sequence so you could see it for yourself,' Kami's telepathic musing echoed to her. When she opened her eyes, she found herself in an astral plane – somewhere between her mind and his, where he was standing in front of her with his sagacious and comforting expression.

She nodded, letting him know she was ready, and before she knew it, the space around them began to blossom with a landscape of memories of long-happened events.

'After Kyouran fell at the hands of Daimao, his disciples trained in dark magic undertook the ritual that spirited away Kyouran's necklace into space and time – desiring to expedite her reincarnation in order to fulfill a prophecy Hiretsukan had told him…' as Kami narrated, she saw the events fall into sequence, from the ritual, to the fevered promises Iyashii Hiretsukan had made to the Demon King in front of his loyal court of demons. She watched as Daimao's eyes had glimmered malevolently with expectation. 'But…after he killed Kyouran, Daimao no longer trusted or believed Hiretsukan – accusing him of twisting the truth for his own purposes and dark ambitions. For his failing to turn Kyouran to his side, Daimao destroyed Hiretsukan, and ordered for the execution of his minion, Arasoi…but the young demon disappeared, never to be seen again,' Sofia's astral self watched the events unfold, eyes wide with wonder at the brutal demise of Hiretsukan at the hands of Daimao. She actually cringed and averted her gaze. 'After that, my evil half decided to move forward with his dastardly goals to destroy and dominate the human race. Once he'd grown his army from his own flesh and bone – a tactic he'd come to after deciding that all the lower classes of demons he held dominion over in the underworld weren't wicked enough for his ambitions, he began a campaign of terror that lasted generations. Just when I was sure I would have to intercede, even if it cost me my own life and guardianship of the Earth, a warrior emerged and went to battle against him,' Sofia watched as the scenes played out in sequence to his narration and revealed the silhouetted frame of the hero.

'Master Mutaito,' Sofia whispered, remembering that indeed he was the person to capture King Piccolo and entrap him with the Evil Containment Wave.

'Yes. Mutaito gave his life to trap Daimao, and his only remaining pupils, the Crane and Turtle hermits, went their separate ways – training the likes of Goku and Tien Shinhan. But Mutaito was the descendant of a powerful line of mystical warriors, one that traces it's ancestry all the way back to someone familiar to you…' Kami paused as the lineage of warriors trailed backwards to their source, revealing a battle-savvy and regal figure with fine raven hair, alabaster skin, and hauntingly somber purplish-blue eyes. Gone was the jovial and irreverent glint in those eyes, so it took Sofia a second to realize whom the chiseled-jawed and seriously scowling man was.

Gasping, her mind flashed to the happy-go-lucky head of the Sumeragi clan who'd been Kyouran's friend and mentor. 'Saiga?!'

Nodding, Kami continued, 'Yes. Saiga-sama despaired after his sister's priestess village was destroyed, and the loss of his only remaining family member and his good friend all at once at the hands of Daimao drove him to change. Renouncing his onmyouji clan responsibilities, he set on a path of combining his mystical abilities with strengthening his battle prowess, developing fighting techniques that tapped into his spiritual energy. He steeled himself and sought to avenge and protect the human race from the likes of Daimao and any other menace – but first, he had to train others,' Sofia watched as Saiga went on to become an accomplished martial artist, who took on pupils from all over the world. The first student he ever taught was Haku – the young blacksmith from the village market. Soon, his martial arts academy would grow until he started his own family, and passed down his martial arts teaching and techniques to his son. That heir would continue passing down the Sumeragi teachings until they eventually became known as simply the greatest martial arts the world had ever seen, before his descendant, Mutaito, started his own martial arts academy. 'Saiga-sama dedicated his life to forging Earth's greatest warriors, whom using both spiritual and physical energy, were able to hone their battle prowess in order to defeat the scourge of Daimao's legion. As you know, many martial arts warriors fell over the course of the Piccolo Wars, but Mutaito succeeded in achieving his ancestor's greatest hope – the defeat of the Demon King.'

Marveling at the immense history lesson that visually played out for her, Sofia glanced over at Kami when he cleared his throat and shrugged at her as if to ask if she needed a break.

'Wow…I'm kind of blown away…oh! Wait – what happened to that jerk Katsumoto?! Did he really stay in power?' Sofia asked, and watched the landscape around her change to reveal a mutiny at a castle.

When she looked at the center of the chaos, she saw Katsumoto being carried out by his men. The warlord was thrashing and shouting in rage. 'Katsumoto did not rule very long – once it was discovered he was cheating his men out of the vast coffers they'd helped him steal. They also were spurned to find out he was planning on consolidating his power further for the sake of ruling with the same corrupt means as the shogunate had before him. Helped by the industrial lobbying of former imperial guardsmen—' Sofia saw as Teshimine and Masaki watched on their horses from the hill adjacent to the castle with their cadre of loyalists as the warlord was dragged out and paraded through the city as a traitor, 'the loyalist factions to the emperor were able to depose Katsumoto and industrialized the first move towards opening up Japan to the rest of the world. They became diplomats overseas and helped in changing the global dynamic between all the different lands. Instead of letting Katsumoto go out the way he wished, they threw him in a prison cell, and let him spend the rest of his days reflecting on the glory his destruction had brought to his enemies.'

'Whoa…' Sofia was in awe. 'Karma's a bitch~!' she added comically, earning an amused grunt from Kami.

'That it is,' he smiled. 'Is there anything else you're curious about?'

Sofia pondered for a moment. 'Oh yeah…Kyouran would take her pilgrimages to the mountains, but once I saw in a dream her refer to someone named Shido…but I don't think I can conjure up those memories on my own. Was he someone she trained with?' she inquired, pausing when he floated over to her in the astral space.

'Ah yes, I remember something about that. Would you allow me?' Kami asked, gesturing to her mind. 'I would need to guide you to those repressed memories.'

'Sure!' she retorted, and closed her eyes, letting her conscious sink and ebb to allow Kami to gain rapport with her. As they skimmed her mind, she felt him gingerly peruse her recesses until he located a bank of memories that were inherited from her past life. Accessing them, they both sunk into a particular sequence of memories Sofia was unaware existed.

She and Kami watched as a little girl with dark hair hung her head in a way to obscure and hide her expression from the adults that were conversing, idly caressing the facets of her garnet pendant as she listened to them talk about her. When she glanced up through the heavy shroud of dark locks, her red eyes fixed on the monk who called her name and soothingly waved her over. The skeptical demon child glared at her priestess handlers before walking over to the sage, who simply smiled at her and explained she would be staying at the monastery up in the snowy mountains to avoid the trappings of her transforming body becoming too unruly with the coming of her heat cycle. Scowling at the man, Kyouran allowed him to usher her into her icy quarters, where she would remain in spiritual and physical mediation until the cycle passed; a pilgrimage she'd have to make every time to avoid her baser nature.

The future demon warrior couldn't have been more than 10 years old, but she still had that disarming glare. Once she'd been left in her quarters, she promptly went to the ice-caked window and climbed out of it, not frightened by the steep fall or precarious landscape as she scaled the rock of the monastery to investigate her new confines. Finding a window that was shut with decorative glass, she dug her talon-like nails into the rock and scurried up to it before using her telekinesis to undo the clasp on the other side in order to gain entry into the room. Soundlessly closing the window to the howling winds outside, she glanced about the dimly lit room before sneaking over to a doorway and peeking out. She heard the playing of a wood and string instrument somewhere down the corridor. Intrigued by the sound, she edged down the hall, sticking to the shadows as to avoid detection. Once she found the source of the sound, she peered into the room and saw a young man, whose long graphite hair was obscuring his features as he played his shamisen with his head bowed, clearly lost to the rhythm as he strummed the ballad.

Bemused, Kyouran watched him for longer than she intended until he suddenly tossed his hair back and glanced up, pausing in his next strum when he saw burning red eyes staring at him. Blinking comically at her, the silver-eyed teen pouted, "Sounds that bad, huh."

Narrowing her gaze at him, Kyouran just bore her gaze at him before glancing down inquisitively at the instrument in his hands.

"Oh, this? Have you never seen a shamisen?" when she didn't answer, he leaned back and held it out to her. "Care to try it? I'm not great, but I could teach you some chords—"

"Are you imprisoned here too?"

Blinking at her with confusion, the young man laughed, his tone a gravelly tenor as he retorted, "Imprisoned?! I mean – I know it's not the warmest and most cheerful place, but I'd hardly call the monastery a prison—"

"You stupid humans; either all laughs to my face or cowering at the sight of me. If you're not a prisoner, and you're clearly not a monk, then why are you here?" the surly demon girl groused at him, crossing her arms tightly over her pendant and glaring at him judgmentally.

"Huh? Why do you think I'm not a monk?" the silver-eyed teen asked as he put his shamisen to the side and leaned forward on his bent knees.

In the blink of an eye, Kyouran was standing over him and tugging logically on his long graphite hair. "Because you're not bald," she remarked and gave another experimental tug, earning a yelp from the teen.

"Ack! I know that, but do you have to tug on my hair?" he laughed, playfully squeezing her little hand to get her to release the chunk of hair she was tugging on. "I just meant to say you haven't even introduced yourself, and you're jumping to so many conclusions," he smiled up at her when she just blinked at him. "Ok, I'll start: I'm Shido. And your name is…?"

When he held her hand and shook it unselfconsciously, Kyouran stared at him for a moment before whispering, "Kyouran."

"Hi, Kyouran! It's very nice to meet you. See? Easy. Now we're friends," Shido smiled and continued to shake her hand before offering her a seat on a large pillow adjacent to him. "Take a load off. It's been a while since I've met anyone from the outside. Would you like me to teach you to play? Like I said, I'm not very good—"

"Shido-sama!"

Glancing up at the doorway, they saw a group of harried monks staring at them as if they were doing something forbidden.

"Uhhh…hi, guys! What's wrong? Saw a ghost?" the silver-eyed teen quipped before glancing over and seeing how Kyouran was now at the windowsill, crouched like a mistrustful animal that was being cornered. "Uh…Kyouran? No need to go out the window—"

"Shido-sama, this ward shouldn't be in your quarters. Come now, Kyouran—"

"Touch me, and lose your hand," the demon girl snarled, baring her fangs in warning before jumping out the window and taking flight, to the bemusement of the monks who rushed to the window and watched her fly up to the highest point of the monastery.

"Uhhh…okay, so that's so not cool of you, guys. You scared her off," the young God of the Mountain Range frowned, sitting up and adding in an admonishing tone, "Just because she's a girl doesn't mean you have to be all, like, uncool to her…"

The next memory showed how the young man went out of his way to seek her out, even climbing the precarious ladder up to the tower that was laden with icicles and snow piles once he reached the top. He found her shivering on the ledge of the tower, her arms huddled around her knees and head bowed as she withstood the howling baleful winds.

"I know demons run hot, but this is a little too cold, ain't it?" Kyouran jerked her head up and glared at the voice, before blinking and seeing it was the graphite-haired weird human. He was even smiling at her as he held something out to her. "Here – no need to freeze. If you don't want to come back down, at least put this on."

Reaching and snatching the fur-lined hooded cloak, Kyouran pulled it around herself. The relief she felt was palpable, her pendant's pulsing going dormant as she glanced back over at the shivering man with her burning red eyes, narrowing her gaze as she mused, "If you know I'm a demon, why're you being so nice?"

"If I answer that question, you gotta promise to come back down. I'm freezing my toes off over here!" he jovially offered. Nodding curtly, Kyouran phased to stand next to him and stared up at him as he answered, "I'm sorry if I weirded you out. I just think it's cool to have someone new to talk to, demon or otherwise."

Raising a skeptical brow, Kyouran diverted her gaze and went over to start climbing down the ladder. Smiling, Shido followed suit, and once they were back in the less-hostile section of the tower, the silver-eyed teen gestured for her to follow him down a corridor to a different wing of the monastery. She cautiously did so, hanging back several paces and eyeing him as if she was prepared for him to turn on her any minute.

When they reached an immense door, he opened it and revealed a sprawling library dimly lit by sconces and candlelight. "If you ever feel scared and want somewhere to go, you can come here. No one will bother you," he explained in his warm tenor, smiling when she wandered in and stared wide-eyed around at the tomes and treasures housed in the great hall.

"…why won't anyone bother me here?" Kyouran whispered and glanced up at him.

"This is my library. Only I have access to it, and no one else has my permission to visit it," Shido said in an authoritative tone, posing with his hands on his hips and trying to look austere, but only earned a snort from the demon girl. "What? Not serious enough?"

Shaking her head, Kyouran gave him a lopsided smirk. "Why do the other monks act like you're a big deal and don't have access to this place?"

Digging into his pocket and finding a fastening to tie back his long graphite hair, the silver-eye teen sighed and glanced to a giant wall tapestry that was displayed on the furthest side of the library. "Because of that," he gestured to the tapestry, and watched as Kyouran tossed the cloak on the nearest table to approach the wall with the tapestry to study it with her scrutinizing crimson gaze. The tapestry told a story, depicting a prophetic figure being borne to flesh and bone from the spirit realm, but who was destined to return to it – to become the protector of the sky and the mountains from the tyranny of man and the destruction of monsters. Blinking at the appearance of the figure, Kyouran couldn't help levitate upwards to stare harder at the woven countenance of the god depicted. The silver eyes were crafted from actual polished silver pieces, catching the light of the candles as they flickered in the room. The figure was donning robes similar to those Shido wore, except he looked more regal, and had the musculature of a warrior. Sweatdropping, Kyouran glanced back at the young teen, who was now posing in the same authoritative way as the figure in the tapestry. "I know. The resemblance is uncanny, ain't it?" he quipped before crossing his arms and huffing an amused sigh. "That was woven by a psychic monk who lived hundreds of years ago. Basically, I'm that guy, but I haven't really done anything that special, so…"

Landing and walking back over to him, she stared openly up at his features, startling him when she grabbed the front of his tunic and pulled him down to be nose to nose with her. Searching his wide silver eyes, Kyouran seemed to find what she was looking for. "You do have a different spiritual energy than most humans. I don't know what a 'god' is supposed to be to mortals, really, but I guess you'll do," she mused in her stoic tone before letting go of his tunic and strolling away to look at the rest of the library.

Grunting at that, Shido righted his tunic and watched her; unable to prevent his smile when she found an alcove with his back up shamisen and picked it up inquisitively.

Kami and Sofia stumbled onto a string of memories that showed Kyouran and Shido's friendship blossoming over the time she was secluded in the monastery, up until the day she was retrieved by her priestess handlers and returned to the village. She had glanced over her shoulder and watched as Shido snuck around the corner to offer her a farewell wave, his mirth cresting his eyes when she meekly smiled and shook her head ruefully at him. The next time she returned to the monastery, she was not flanked by her handlers, and was no longer the child she'd been previously. Now grown to the physical maturity of a 15 year old, Kyouran had blossomed from the terse and hostile demon girl to a pubescent young woman, her hourglass figure and feminine curves obvious under her plain priestess warrior garments. The monks had marveled at her transformation, but knew better than to approach her as she whisked her way past them to ascend the numerous flights of stairs first for Shido's plain quarters among the basic lodgings of the devout men, but when she found it empty, she sprinted with her otherworldly speed up to the tower, where she barreled through the library doors, shocking Shido with the sudden arrival that he fell backwards from his chair, and caused a bunch of books he had stacked next to him to topple over him.

"Hey! No one is allowed in here without my permission!" he raised his hand authoritatively free from the stack of books as he bellowed, earning a snicker from Kyouran as she rolled her eyes.

"No matter how many times you say that, I won't ever take it serious, God of the Northern Mountain Range."

Blinking, the silver-eyed young man pushed himself free of the books and dusted himself off before glancing over at the young woman standing with her arms crossed and gazing at him. Her crimson eyes burned with mischief, and were his main sources of realization to her identity, after the uncanny necklace with the bloodstone that hung around her slender neck. "…Kyouran?" he balked as he glanced at her quizzically before comically rushing over and inspecting her new teenage form. She was now as tall as him, but her features were fierce and feminine – not the round and surly child-like countenance he'd said farewell to. "Whoa…" he mused and poked her between her brows as he drawled, "Look who grew up and got all tall. Won't be pulling me down to glare at me anymore, huh."

Slapping his hand away, the teenage Kyouran mused, "It's not my fault humans have stunted growth cycles. But poke me like that again, and I'll send you to the god realm ahead of schedule."

Pouting comically, Shido drawled, "You know I hate it when you call me that—"

"It's your title. Silly humans like assigning titles to that which they revere or fear," Kyouran mused dismissively.

"Is that a fact, miss Oni Hakaisha?" he drawled and wiggled his brows at her. "I prefer calling you Kyouran. So c'mon – no titles amongst friends, okay?"

Crossing her arms, she gave a curt nod, but was unable to submerge the small smirk that pulled her soft lips.

The two friends fell back into their camaraderie of before, except with one small change. Kyouran would stare at him longer than she understood the purpose of, or found herself wondering what it would be like to be embraced by him. The perplexing impulsive thoughts aggravated her, but she ignored them, until her last night of her pilgrimage.

"So, I'm guessing next time, you'll be a full-blown woman," Shido had drawled in that gravelly tone she found appealing, stirring her from her book. He was sitting in his favorite spot of the library, idly tuning his shamisen when she glanced over at him. His silver eyes were warm, gazing at her platonically, but his smile caused an alien sensation to stir in her chest. "It's kind of a bummer, because then you'll be physically as mature as me, and you're already mentally more mature than me; not a cool place for a god to be," he goofed, shaking his head with mock forlornness. "Just no fair~!"

Going to sit next to him, Kyouran stared at him with an odd twinkle in her eyes. His growth into maturity had been muted and less discernible as hers; spending short periods of seclusion in the monastery, it was seldom that she'd notice how he'd changed as well. His high cheekbones were now complimented by the chiseled edge of his jaw, brows thicker, and the curves of his lips set on a more masculine edge, while his shoulders were broader and his frame seemed more muscular than she really remembered. Shido's eyes were still wide and bright though, flickering with warm affection at her when she reached for the shamisen and started playing it. He smirked and watched her as her long fingers strummed and plucked the strings with expert practice.

"Will you ever leave this place?"

The question confused Shido, so he reached for her hand and ceased it's playing, causing her to gaze into his eyes. "You know I can't leave…" he mused, the serene edge of his tone obscuring the sadness he hid from her. "I've been here since I was a kid. It's my destiny to remain here—"

"But that's what they have told you. How do you know—why do you let them decide what your destiny is?" Kyouran cut in, her eyes flaring turbulently as she set the shamisen aside and leaned forward to whisper, "These humans…all they tell you is how you're meant to do something to protect them and their way of life. Why can't you just live your life?"

Sighing, Shido averted his gaze. "It's not that simple, Kyouran. Ultimately, destinies only come true because of what people choose to do. I've chosen to be here; to learn from this library and become stronger spiritually in order to achieve what I'm supposed to—"

"You're not supposed to do anything. Fine…you've chosen this, but why?" she interjected, gaze glowing with bewilderment and incomprehension as her pendant began to flare dimly.

Smiling sadly at her, Shido reached for her and caressed her cheek, causing her to stiffen and stare into his open expression. He trailed his fingertips to the back of her neck and pulled her close, planting a kiss on her forehead before musing, "I want to become stronger, and surpass the frailties of this body to instead reach a glorious place where I can protect this land and everyone in it from darkness. I don't see my remaining here as a sacrifice," he paused, gazing into her eyes before adding in a warm tone, "But that doesn't mean I don't cherish being with you, or wonder what it'd be like if we were just two beings free of our responsibilities…"

Pulling away, Kyouran's necklace began to pulsate over her winter tunic, her anger palpable as she hissed, "You're a fool! Don't placate me with your sentimental drivel, and don't act like you care for me beyond being the aberration to your lonely and contrived existence here. And don't ever conflate your ridiculous sense of obligation with my subjugation here again!"

With that, she stormed out of the library, and left the next day without a farewell, unbelievably angry and perplexed by why his words had stricken her so.

It wasn't until her eventual return that she found herself feeling foolish for her outburst and wondered if Shido would still grant her access to his presence.

This time, when she entered the library, she found him at the wide glass-stained windows, reading a book in the rare rays of sunlight that were flickering through the panes. Standing there stoically, she waited until he acknowledged her presence, thinking he was pointedly drawing it out, until he yawned and stretched before freezing and yelping in surprise. "For gods' sakes! How long have you been there?!" he bellowed in shock, before flinching and blinking at her. "…Kyouran?"

Narrowing her eyes conspiratorially at him, she drawled, "For the God of the Northern Mountain Range, your powers of observation are quite lacking. Shouldn't you be using your spiritual powers to discern things already?"

Staring at her, Shido slowly turned and contemplated her before tossing his book aside and advancing towards her. Before Kyouran could react, he'd pulled her into a tight hug, squeezing her frame against his. "I'm sorry I upset you," he whispered against her temple. Kyouran absently stood there as he embraced her, not sure how to reciprocate the gesture. When he pulled away to gaze into her eyes, he mused, "I wasn't sure I'd ever see you again before—" he paused, changing the subject, "I'm glad to see you again."

Staring into his silver eyes, it took Kyouran a moment to register he was still embracing her before she firmly pushed him away, but let her hands linger on his biceps as she quietly assessed the latest changes he'd matured into. Hair pulled back, his features looked more regal-yet-rugged now – defined jaw and easy smile appealing to her, as did his strong muscular frame, hidden by his dark austere tunic.

Coughing to clear her throat, Kyouran used it as an excuse to step away from him and glance sidelong at him. "I had to come. Couldn't be avoided…" she muttered and avoided his irreverent smile by turning to leave to go to her icy quarters.

Slowly, she'd allowed her guard to lower and eventually found herself returning to the library once the isolation of her cold quarters had numbed her for days. Shido gave her space, glancing at her from the corner of his eye every so often when she roamed about the stacks and caressed the tomes thoughtfully. Putting down his book, he watched her peruse absently and realized she was too willful to break the ice. When she seemed to give up and loped towards the exit, he faintly smiled.

"You look beautiful."

Pausing, she slightly turned to glance with skeptically narrowed red eyes at him. He was standing in that damnable pose of his – hands on his hips and broad shoulders back; head tilted casually over at her, as if expectant for her vicious retort.

Instead, she groused, "And you're no longer scrawny. Which reminds me…" she turned and loped back over to him, pointedly leaning into his space to gaze analytically into his eyes.

"Uhhh…" he blinked at her as she continued her scrutinizing, before she suddenly poked him between his brows and earned a fidget from him.

"You feel different…" she mused, leaning closer to sniff him, earning a blush and sweatdrop from the supposed divine figure before she announced, "And you smell different. What have you been doing?"

"Uhh, that's kind of a personal thing to ask, Kyouran—" he began chuckling and waving the topic away dismissively before she slapped his hand away and started circling him like a predator assessing her prey.

"No. You've changed. Your spiritual energy is off the charts, but your physical power is different as well. It's almost like…" she paused, pondering to figure it out when he turned to track her train of thought.

Suddenly, there was a tremor that coursed through the monastery, causing them to waver in place as tomes and objects feel from shelves and tables around them. A loud bell began to chime somewhere in the distance, before they began to hear people calling for Shido.

Rushing out of the library with Kyouran in toe, Shido went down the corridor and ascended the ladder to the tower's perch, going over and peering through the haze of the mountain above to watch a mass of something moving and descending through the snow ridges towards the monastery.

Going to stand at his side, Kyouran's sharp gaze realized the advancing force were creatures she hadn't encountered before. They looked reptilian but had an exoskeleton of plated hide, with serrated talons and yellow eyes narrowed above short muzzles. Their raucous advance was causing banks of snow to slide off the mountainside to crash into the foundation of the monastery's stone summit.

"It's time," Shido announced, turning to Kyouran and smiling sadly at her as he stated, "I have to go. Please don't interfere, my friend. I have to handle this on my own."

Perplexed, Kyouran watched as Shido closed his eyes and began to glow a warm white aura before he slowly ascended from the perch into the blustery windy sky, hovering in place before concentrating his energy in his clasped palms. Dumbfounded, she watched him begin to pulsate with a divine power, not even aware of the rush of monks that had now climbed the tower to join her as a spectating bystander. She was too focused on trying to sense his power, and finding herself unable to comprehend why it was so different than anything she'd ever come across.

The creatures halted in their tactics to stare fearfully up at Shido's brilliant form as he harnessed all his internal power into his hands and blasted them out in a resplendent energy field that annihilated them, turning the creatures to stone on the spot and succeeding in stopping the horde as well as melting away the snow that had once covered the main mountain peak north of the monastery's summit.

Everyone on the tower were in awe of the feat, while Kyouran was too busy watching something change in Shido before he faltered and began to plummet out of the sky. Gasps went up in horror for him. Before he hit the ground, Kyouran phased in mid air and caught him, breaking his fall.

"Shido!" she shouted, rolling him onto his back so she could assess his injuries.

Coughing, the silver-eyed man rolled onto his side and continued to be racked with the violent after effects of his divine intervention before absently wiping at his mouth. "I'm fine, don't worry," he croaked to Kyouran and waved her away.

She saw the spatter of blood wiped on the back of his hand. After a terse pause, Kyouran stared at his wide back, struggling to deal with the inner turmoil of her realization.

"You're sick…" she tersely announced.

Sighing, Shido glanced sidelong at her before trying to stand to his feet, and wavering. He caught himself, and stood, staring down at her as he smiled sadly.

"I told you…I had to surpass the frailties of this body," he whispered, wavering now on his feet. Kyouran caught him and helped prop him up to stand. Tossing his arm over her shoulders, she flew them back to the monastery. Once she'd gotten him into his humble bed, she kneeled next to him and waited patiently until he recovered from his wavering and could focus his wide silver eyes on her again. "No matter how hard I trained and how much my spiritual energy grew to its divine level, my body isn't strong enough to keep my spirit latched to this corporeal realm…" he mustered in a gravelly tone, eyes hooded as he took a deep breath and continued. "That horde was destined to descend on the monastery and wipe everyone out. They were going to take over this land, and use it as a base from which they would descend on the rest of the country. I've…completed my destiny…so I am glad."

Staring turbulently at him, Kyouran's stoic regard was only betrayed by her furrowing brows, as they knitted together in conflict.

"You are remarkable, my friend. I've been able to hide my physical decline…but couldn't hide it from you," Shido croaked before being seized by another coughing fit.

Kyouran watched helplessly as he coughed up dark blood-laced spittle, before gasping for air. She looked over her shoulder and saw how many monks were huddled in the doorway of his quarters. The looks on their faces were grief personified.

"You're going to die."

Shido's breathing was shallow as he glanced up at her. He watched as her eyes trembled, unfocused as they stared down at the blood on the back of his hand. Reaching up to her, he pulled her down by the front of her tunic so she could be nose to nose with him. "Yeah. But please. You're too beautiful to be sad, Kyouran," he rasped and smiled cheekily at her, his mirth cresting his eyes and softening his masculine features. His grip faltered, hand trailing down to hold hers as he whispered, "I'm glad to have seen you again."

Her eyes went wide as her predatory senses realized his heart rate was slowing. At a loss, the demon warrior stared with deep conflict etched in her crimson depths at the divine human vessel before her.

Shido weakly squeezed her hand before softly declaring, "Thank you for being my friend. I was very lonely for a long time. Meeting you and having you in my life, no matter how brief, made me less afraid to do what I had to do…"

Staring into his softened expression, Kyouran watched as he blinked slowly up at her and smiled, taking one last breath before his bright eyes began to cloud over and go blank; the spark of life leaving them as his body went slowly limp and his head lulled to the side.

The dimly lit room began to glow red from the vibrant pulsating of her pendant, as she remained rooted next to him, staring at his peaceful countenance. Letting go of his hand, she sat and stared at his countenance for a long time before reaching her trembling fingers up to caress his cheek. His skin had grown cold. She was bemused and overwhelmed, but her features didn't show it. When she finally registered the sound of weeping coming from the hall, Kyouran slowly stood and wandered away from her bedside vigil to go and stalk absently down the corridor, the monks in mourning parting to allow her exit.

When his funeral pyre was lit, she watched with painful stoicism etched on her features. Her eyes were glued to his profile as the flames began to rise and lick his body, fed by the hungry and cold wind that kicked up around the funeral site. That peaceful smile of his still remained on his features, pinging in her the impression that his whole life had boiled down to this moment. Once the flames overtook the pyre, obscuring his form, Kyouran turned and phased out, running away from the scene until she was far from the monastery and surrounded only by ice, snow, and violent winds. Falling to her knees, she dug her nails into the cold snow and bit back the turbulent pain that welled in the back of her throat before driving itself down to her chest. The sob she heard was foreign and bizarre. Slowly, she realized it came from her once her vision blurred over. Curling up and falling to her side, the powerful warrior buried her face in the snow, letting the cold numb her as she struggled with the incomprehensible feelings battling inside of her.

"Why didn't you tell me…?" she suddenly wept, huddling herself and allowing the emotional pain to overtake her as she wished for the cold to numb her out.

The howling wind suddenly died down, causing her surroundings to go eerily quiet. Sensing something, she struggled to uncurl herself and stare about. Looking up, she saw the moon for the first time in the harsh and cold night sky. She stared wide eye as the sky began to be filled with soft, fluttering snowflakes that descended slowly and danced around her languidly. Blinking, she closed her eyes and allowed her spiritual energy to sense out what she'd felt before.

"…Shido?"

A soft breeze answered her, picking up the wayward snowflakes to spiral and dance around her.

Staring, she watched the delicate flurries fall around her before looking up and watching as the moon glowed silver down at her. Realizing her grief was misplaced, Kyouran tilted her face upwards and let the snowflakes land on her skin before muttering, "God of the Northern Mountain Range, huh?"

The flurries whirled around her and the breeze suddenly howled overhead. Closing her eyes, Kyouran snickered, before lowering back down to lay on her back to stare up at the moon in the sky as the flurries continued to dance around her.

"You accomplished what you wanted…" she breathed, eyes fluttering as the wind caressed her form. "You're in a glorious place…free of your frail mortal coil. Now I'm truly alone again…"

Kami glanced over at Sofia, and saw as her eyes were shimmering with unshed tears at the scene. They watched as Kyouran eventually returned to the monastery, going into the library and learning Shido had left her a piece of parchment. In it, he explained that since childhood, he knew his body wouldn't be able to withstand the growing divine spiritual energy his soul could conjure, and that upon his death, he hoped she would remember their friendship; even ended the letter by cheekily declaring, "My library is yours, but if you want to give people permission to use it, that's cool too." Once she'd finished reading his message, Kyouran had declared that she would never return to the monastery, and told the bravest monk who gave the parchment to her that she had no need for the library. Telling him dismissively to let anyone use it who so wished to, she departed the austere site and wandered into the frozen wilderness of the mountain range, resuming her lonely existence while still cherishing the fleetingly brief moments she'd shared with Shido. After that day, her pilgrimages to the North were in complete isolation – no respite from the harsh winter conditions, but she bore the hostile terrain with relative ease, thanks to her friend's protection from beyond the spiritual realm, as the God of the Northern Mountain Range.

Not soon after the events at the monastery, she'd returned to the priestess village and eventually saved little Mekareh, who'd become her second friend in her entirely short-lived existence. Her reticence about befriending the little girl had kept her cold and aloof, but deep down, she recognized that Shido's influence had been the only thing that could've softened her to have empathy, as well as reluctant affection for the young girl.

Watching as the recollections slowly ebbed away and back into dormancy, Sofia and Kami were able to wander back from the astral journey back into their consciousness. Glancing across the table after her eyes fluttered opened, Sofia squeezed Kami's hand as she gratefully bowed her head.

"Thank you for showing me, Kami. I feel really at peace—needed to know all that in order to leave it in the past," she sighed thoughtfully before smiling at the sage.

"It was my honor, Sofia. I've struggled with the thought of not giving Kyouran the closure she's entitled to. I'm glad I was able to help you both in the long run," he mused and returned her smile kindly.

Nodding pensively, Sofia glanced over to idly watch as the first rays of sunrise began to glow in the horizon, sending resplendent hues to shimmer across the sky over the Lookout.

"I don't know what do to now."

Gaze intensifying on her, Kami smiled. "How about you have some coffee in the meantime?"

Blinking over at him, she whirled to glance over at Mr. Popo, who had just arrived up the walkway with a tray carrying tea and coffee, his ever-present smile on his ebony features as he casually walked over and joined them. "Good morning, Kami. It's so nice to see you, Sofia! I thought you both could use something warm and pleasant to start off your morning," the genie remarked jovially as he served them their drinks.

Shaking her head ruefully with a silly grin, Sofia retorted, "Have I told you both how you're two of the best dudes ever?"

The longtime friends laughed at that. Sitting together to enjoy their beverages, the 3 starkly different beings appreciated the quality time over idle chatter as dawn began to slowly advance across the sky.


THANKS FOR READING! PLEASE REVIEW!

Another long chapter, but one I've been dying to get out and posted. This chapter was a real labor of love to get from my imagination down to written word, so thank you all for the patience and perseverance of reading such a long one!

-ROGUEFURY