"Morning, sunshine!" Phoenix announced loudly as he kicked open the door to the cabin, a big grin splitting his face at the groans he heard from the bed. He snickered mischievously and walked over to it, looking down at his grandfather as he tried to curl around his mates. "Grandpa! Get up! We gotta train!" He bounced from toe to toe, eager to put in a full day's worth of training. He was so excited about the upcoming tournament. He pulled the tie from his hair, which had gotten exceptionally messy on the flight out, and slicked back his long, spiky hair into a low ponytail. He sighed at his bangs, which he still couldn't get to tie back. They just stuck up in the front, just like his grandfather's. "I quit," he muttered before he grinned at his grandpa again.

"Goku, you have got to stop giving your grandson caffeine," Tien groaned and rolled over, trying to hide his face in the pillow. He was exhausted. Goku and Sabriena had kept him up most of the night and while he didn't want to complain about that, it made it difficult to get up the next morning. "I'm getting too old for this."

Goku groaned and pulled the covers up over his head, curling himself securely around Sabriena and Tien. "Five more minutes," he whined. "I got to be in the middle last night, lemme enjoy it," he said groggily. He could have sworn Phoenix was out there training last night and he didn't leave until after supper time. "Tell your mother to stop giving you sugar, or at least bring me some," he mumbled.

Phoenix paled and shook his head. "Grandpa! I don't need to know that!" he cried, trying to shake the mental image from his head. "ARGH!" He scrubbed at his eyes and turned away from the bed as he heard Sabriena snicker behind him. He narrowed his eyes and looked up at the loft overhead, sensing the energies there. "Fine. Five more minutes and then I'm dragging you out of that bed," he said before he flew up to the loft, spying his uncle and Paige sleeping there. He couldn't stop himself. "Wakey, wakey!" he shouted and jumped into the bed with them.

"Goddammit, Phoenix!" Goten groaned and rolled over, growling low in his throat. "What the hell are you doing here?"

Goku groaned and snuggled deeper into the mattress with his mates, calling out after Phoenix, "You can drag me out of bed if you want, but I'll warn you now, we're all naked!"

"I don't need to know that!" Phoenix shouted back down at him. He paused and shuddered, gagging. He sat back on his heels, looking down at Goten and Paige in the bed, both of them looked rather put-out with him at the moment. "You two are in trouble!" he sing-songed. "Piccolo called Dad this morning looking for you, Paige. Said something about Dende wouldn't tell him where you are and Vegeta caught the two of you MAKING OUT on the couch or some shit. Now he's all in freak-out mode. Way to piss off the Namek, Goten."

Paige groaned and rolled over. "I love my uncle for that. Gods, Goten just didn't think Nameks could kiss good, or handle a Saiyan. Something like that," she said. "He is just going to have to get over that." She grinned and reached out, yanking Phoenix under the covers with Goten and herself. "Come here, sexy," she said before she snuggled up to him and closed her eyes.

Phoenix's face went hot, but he laughed and he elbowed Goten. "She thinks I'm sexy," he chuckled. He curled up closer to her, a purr rumbling in his throat. "You are warm," he said and buried himself a little more under the covers. He nudged Goten again. "Go make everyone coffee so Grandpa will get up and train with me."

Goten groaned and forced himself to his feet. "You could learn to make coffee yourself, you know," he said. He shook his head as Phoenix stuck his tongue out at him. He leapt lightly over the railing and landed gracefully on the wooden floor below and waved over at his parents in the bed. "Morning," he greeted them and went into Sabriena's kitchen to start fixing a pot of coffee.

Sabriena sat up slightly, looking over at Goten before he disappeared into the kitchen. Her blonde hair stuck out at odd angles around her face as she blinked sleepily. "When did he get here?" she asked with a yawn. "He wasn't here when we went to bed last night. I swear, we need a lock on that door." She huffed and fell back to the bed, "I guess we need to get up."

Goku rolled over, dragging her back down onto the bed, burying his face into her hair. "Mmm, they got here late last night, or early this morning. I'm not sure," he murmured as he wrapped his arms around her while he slid his leg back to nudge at Tien. "What time did you say they got in?"

"It was after midnight," he yawned and scrubbed at his eyes with the heel of his hand. He sighed and let his arm fall against the mattress before he sat up. "Might as well get up. Come on, you two." He leaned over and kissed both of his mates before he forced himself out of the bed and pulled on some clothes. He tossed clothes to both of them before he went to sit at the table just as Goten brought out the pot of coffee and some cups. "Thanks, kiddo."

Paige peered over the side of the railing, watching as Goku and Sabriena joined Tien at the table. "Can't sneak around you guys, huh?" she asked disappointedly. She stretched and let her back pop before she tugged on Phoenix, "Come on, you get to watch us drink coffee," she said.

"Watch?" Phoenix whined, but got out of the bed and jumped over the railing, just like Goten had. "Why don't I get any? That's not fair!"

"Because you're too hyper as it is," Tien answered dryly as he drank deeply from his cup.

Phoenix pouted, but his expression lit up again a minute later. "Hey Paige! You wanna spar with us today? You're entering the tournament, too, right? I wanna see what I'm up against so I can prepare to kick your butt." His tail whipped excitedly behind him, whacking Goku with it. "Oops, sorry, Grandpa," he snickered.

Goku just laughed as the tail whapped his arm. "That's alright, kiddo. But you'd better get in the habit of wrapping that around your waist, otherwise your opponent is going to yank it right off." He chuckled and drank his coffee, "I am still on the fence about asking Jenny to bring my own back." He sighed, "So, why the visit Goten?"

Paige stuck her tongue out at Phoenix. "As if! I'm not going to give you an advantage. I would never give away any of Papaw's trade secrets. I'll give you a hint though, it involves Final Flash," she said with a wink.

Goten shuddered. He'd been on the receiving end of Paige's Final Flash more times than he cared to count. She'd been perfecting it since before she could barely talk. "Ah, we stayed up too late last night hanging out. I knew Piccolo was mad at me and I didn't wanna wake up with him in my face. So we thought we'd come here and I'd make everyone breakfast!" It was close enough to the truth, he supposed. "Speaking of which, I'd better get cooking. You don't mind, do you, Mom?"

"Have at it," Sabriena said, waving him towards the kitchen. She loved to cook, but she was too worn out that morning and was more than happy to let him do it. Besides, he was probably a better cook than she was at this point and that was saying something. Her stomach growled as the smell of bacon hit her nose. "I've taught him too well," she muttered.

Phoenix stared at his tail for a good long moment before he carefully wrapped it around his waist. He definitely did not like the idea of losing his tail. "Paige would be the one to rip it off. She's the only one mean enough to do that," he muttered and shied away when she punched his arm. "See? She's vicious, I tell you!" He moved to sit down next to Goku, trying to put his grandpa between himself and the half-Namek. He grinned at Goku. "Oh, and by the way, that comment you made about Mom giving me sugar? She says it's payback for all the times you made her get up too early to go train."

Goku groaned and let his head thunk against the table. "Ugh, I did it for her health," he said before his stomach growled loudly at the scent wafting from the kitchen.

Paige rolled her eyes, "You forget, Papaw trained me. I know better than to go for a Saiyan's tail. Unless you are the bad guy. Then I'm ripping that sucker out." She snickered and traced the rim of her cup with a finger.

Goku smiled and tried not to cringe. "So, how long have you and Goten been dating? What happened to that Tiffany person?" he asked, looking towards the kitchen before back at Paige, grinning. "Are we going to have more grandbabies soon?" he asked excitedly.

Paige let her hand smack her face. "We aren't dating, we just were hanging out and there are no grandbabies on the way."

"Good grief, I can't even hang out with you without the whole family freaking out," Goten said as he carried plates full of food out and set them on the table. "I haven't dated Tiffany for a couple months, Dad. And I can't date Paige! That's just weird. She's my best friend, that's all." He sat down at the table across from her and shot her a wink.

Goku blinked innocently at his son. "I'm not freaking out." He looked over at Sabriena. "Am I?" he asked and frowned when she just shrugged at him. He waved her off and looked back to Goten, "And what's wrong with dating your best friend? It's what happened with Tien and me."

"I didn't mean you were freaking out, Dad, but you did sorta jump to conclusions," Goten said. "It's Vegeta and Piccolo who are freaking out. Paige and I were joking around and Vegeta practically threatened to kill me." He shrugged and dug into his breakfast, moaning appreciatively at his own cooking. "It doesn't matter. Anyway, Paige and I are just friends. We like it that way."

"Ah, don't pay any attention to them. They know you're a good kid, Goten," Tien said as he ate. "They've always been a bit overprotective of her and with good reason. They nearly lost her when those Atlantians kidnapped her. You can't blame them for looking out for her. They'd be that way with anyone. They just need to remember that you're her friend and that's all."

Goku chuckled. "I'll run you back home Paige and assure Piccolo everything's fine," he said before he reached over and ruffled Goten's hair. "Can't have him murdering my wonderful little chef," he said happily.

Goten smiled and leaned into his dad's touch. "Thanks, Dad. I would like to go to the Lookout later without worrying about getting beat up." He didn't care how strong he was, how fast, or how much younger he was. Piccolo was intimidating as fuck.

"So you're staying to train today, right?" Phoenix asked Goten between mouthfuls of food. He knew his uncle didn't care much for training, but Phoenix loved to spar with him. Well, truth be told, Phoenix loved to do anything Goten would include him on. Ever since they were little, he'd been following Goten around and Goten didn't mind one bit. They were always playing in the woods behind Gohan's house or in the forest around the cabin, sparring or camping, and usually with Paige at their side. He was nearly as inseparable from Goten as Paige was. "You know you need to get in more training. The tournament is next week and you don't wanna get owned by Paige."

"Yeah, I'll stay," Goten agreed, his heart warming at the way Goku beamed at him. And Phoenix had a point; he didn't want to get completely beaten down by his best friend. The rest of them would never let him live it down. He finally pushed his empty plate away and sat back with a groan. Paige had already finished hers and Goten frowned as Goku finally finished his, too. "I guess you better go before your dad has a total fit," he sighed and got up to hug her. "Call me later?"

Paige smiled warmly at Goten, leaning over and kissing his cheek before she gave him a wicked wink. "You bet. Train as much as you can stand boys. That prize is as good as mine," she said as she stood up and went over to Goku. She gripped his arm tightly and looked back at Goten. "Thanks for breakfast," she said in a way that implied more than it sounded.

Goku smiled and waved at them. "Be back in a few!" he said as he pressed two fingers to his forehead and looked around as they appeared on the Lookout. He laughed, "Good to see some things don't change a bit! Hey Dende!" He waved to the Guardian with a large smile on his face, "Keep up the good work! I've hardly known what to do with myself in fourteen years of peace. It's good, but I think I need at least fifty more." He gave the Namek a wink.

Dende laughed, "I'll see what I can do, Goku. Piccolo's waiting for you Paige, around back. In his usual meditation spot." He cleared his throat and spoke more loudly than before, "He doesn't understand that you are a growing woman and need some space of your own."

Piccolo's eyes narrowed. "Mind your business, Dende," he growled lowly, knowing his brother could hear him. He'd been so furious when he heard about Paige and Goten making out at Capsule Corp that he hadn't even spoken to his daughter the day before out of fear that he would say something he would later regret. But he'd had time to think about it now. He stood and crossed his arms as Paige and Goku approached him. "You better explain yourself now, young lady. I don't mind you being friends with that boy, but you know my opinion on his dating habits."

Paige had to restrain herself from rolling her eyes. She gave him the best innocent look she knew how to do. "We were just goofing off, Daddy. We didn't mean anything by it. He issued a challenge and I met it. Won it too, by my count," she said with a smirk before she sobered up and looked at him again. "Honestly, you think he can hurt me? If he hurts me ever, I'm breaking it off in his ass and cutting off what makes him a man," she said defiantly.

"I'd rather you not give him the chance to hurt you," he answered, trying to keep his temper. He wasn't sure he wanted to know what she meant when she said she'd won. "Maybe it's best if you stay away from him unless there's someone there to supervise the two of you. I don't trust him. Obviously he's clever at getting what he wants if you fell for some sort of stupid challenge. I thought you were smarter than that, Paige."

Goku frowned at his old friend. "Oh, come on Piccolo. They are old enough, they know what they are doing. And if they don't, then it's a good opportunity for them to learn. Besides, they're best friends. They have been since childhood. I don't think they would ever do anything to hurt each other. Not at all. You can't tell me you think that they would intentionally hurt each other."

"It doesn't have to be intentional for her to get hurt," Piccolo countered. "We all know how often Goten changes girlfriends, if you can even call them that. That may be all well and good for humans, but I don't approve. Namekians have a very different view on that sort of thing. I'm not going to have my daughter end up as just another notch on your son's bedpost."

Paige narrowed her eyes at her father, crossing her arms. "I am NOT his girlfriend. I am his best friend. I can't get hurt if I don't let him. You know me better than this, Dad! Papaw and you have trained me my entire life! Do you doubt your own lessons?!" she asked. "And Mom has told me all about how to take care of people who might hurt me, but Goten is NEVER going to hurt me. I KNOW THAT."

Goku rubbed the back of his head. "Piccolo, I think we should give them the chance. I mean, you know, Paige is a smart girl. She wouldn't let anyone take advantage of her. You all have been afraid of losing her again, but you've trained her well. I know what it's like to feel like you've lost a child. Trust me, I know. But Goten learned from his experience. He's a better man for it."

Piccolo sighed. "I know she can handle herself. I know she's a good fighter and I don't worry about her getting hurt like that. But I don't care what sort of training a person's been through, nothing can train you to deal with a broken heart. And I don't want to see that happen to her. And don't tell me Goten doesn't take advantage of women. Just how many one night stands has that boy had?" he asked. He looked pointedly at Paige. "Don't think I can't hear him when he comes over here bragging to you about his latest conquest."

Goku frowned, "So? Everyone has to start somewhere! How else will they tell the good from the bad? Think of it as a rite of passage or something. We've all had to go through it. We have been through so much, but would we appreciate the life we have now if we didn't go through the hardships we endured? On our own." Goku sighed and looked at Paige, giving her a smile and ruffling her hair.

Piccolo snorted. "So that's the answer? Just sleep around with anyone you meet until you find the right one?" He pressed his lips thin and shook his head. He had never understood that about humans. For him, sex was incredibly intimate and he couldn't imagine just sharing his body like that with anyone but his mate. It was totally bizarre to him. "Doesn't sound to me like Goten's going through any hardships. Sounds like he's having the time of his life."

Paige frowned, feeling her temper rising. "We can't all be the same cookie cutter shape, Daddy!" she cried. "Do you think that it's easy for him? He's looking for someone he can trust. Someone he can have a relationship that is as great as it is with you and Mom, or between Goku and his mates. You can't say that you both didn't go through hard times until you got to where you were meant to be," she said, crossing her arms. "In this time of peace, what else is he supposed to do? I am his one anchor to the world, the one variable in this world that will not change for him."

Piccolo rolled his eyes. "Good gods, would you listen to yourself? You already care about him too much as it is," he said. He frowned at her. "And I didn't meet your mother by sleeping with every female I came into contact with. That idea is totally absurd to me." He shook his head. He knew Goten wasn't a bad kid, he just didn't think he was a good influence on Paige, either. "I mean it. I don't want you hanging out with him unless me or Vegeta are present. And furthermore, just where were you last night? You snuck out without a word."

Goku saw Paige about to retort and he held up his hands, "Hey, hey now. Come on, Piccolo. If she had told you she was going to come to my place with Goten, would you have let her? She is eighteen, she needs some freedom of her own. She needs to experience the world as she sees fit. You know, your life wasn't all that great to begin with. The influence of your father guiding your actions until you learned better."

Paige felt an affection growing for Goku by the second. She had tried to stand up to her father. Tried to tell him she wanted to do this on her own, but he still thought she was six years old, "Daddy, please. What point is there from preventing me to getting hurt? It's going to happen. Why can't you just let me experience what I can and then take out your wrath on those who have hurt me?"

Piccolo could feel a headache starting to throb at his temples. "Because I'm your father! It's my job to protect you. You honestly expect me to just stand by while some punk kid breaks your heart? And that's not just Goten, that's any boy that would do that to you. And if you're not planning on doing anything inappropriate, what's wrong with having me or Vegeta around when you spend time with him? I never thought I'd have to do this, Paige, but the second Vegeta turned his back, Goten was sucking your face off. How the hell did you think I was going to react?"

"Daddy, you know how Papaw likes to exaggerate things. He wasn't sucking my face off. In fact, if you have to know, I challenged him. I didn't think he had it in him to satisfy any woman, let alone a Namek. So if you are going to punish anyone, punish me. I came onto him," she said defiantly with a smirk on her face.

Piccolo felt like she'd punched him. He didn't know how to react to that, what he was supposed to feel. "Go to your room," he said in a frighteningly calm tone. Good gods, he'd known since she was little that Paige was a handful, but he hadn't expected her to just throw something like that in his face and then smirk about it. Like she enjoyed defying him. He rubbed at his face and turned away from her. "I can't even look at you right now." He heard her huff and stomp off to her room, slamming the door behind her.

He turned his head slightly, glaring over his shoulder at Goku. "And you let them sleep over at your place?" he growled. That was a thought he liked even less than the thought of Paige kissing Goten.

Goku shrugged his shoulders. "It was late, after midnight they showed up. Would you rather we have kicked them out and go someplace else to sleep?" he asked. He sighed and rubbed at his hair, "Just give them a chance. I mean, you don't have any other reason to distrust him other than his reputation. Why judge him like that until he gives you reason to do so? Paige is going to experience heartbreak in her life one way or another. Would you rather it with Goten, or some strange boy you don't know?"

"Wouldn't you rather it be some strange boy that I kill?" he countered darkly. "You really want them to lose their friendship because they let their hormones run away with them? I'd rather not see that happen." He frowned as he thought about it. That would probably break Paige's heart more than anything else would. "I'm not saying they can't be friends. I just don't want them left alone until this sort of behavior stops."

Goku laughed, "You think it's going to stop anytime soon? Before they get it out of their systems? Do you really think that either of them are going to break each other's hearts? It's not possible. You know both of them, you know what Paige has been through." His expression turned dark, "You damn well know what Goten has been through. He's not going to hurt his best friend, Piccolo. And children don't need to be supervised once they aren't considered children anymore!"

Piccolo turned to look at his friend again. "I'm not discounting what Goten went through. Everyone knows what happened to him. I know he's not a bad kid, Goku. But he's young and I don't think he's making the best decisions right now. We've all made stupid choices. Can you blame me for being concerned? I don't care how old she is, she's still my little girl."

Goku rubbed his face. "Are you the pot or the kettle?" he murmured. "Fine, whatever, so they came to my place. They weren't unsupervised and you can't say otherwise, can you? So if they should ever want to hang out," he spoke loudly, "they are welcome at my place."

Piccolo narrowed his eyes at Goku. "You keep that boy of yours in check," he said and turned away, crossing his arms as he sat down to try to meditate again. The conversation was over as far as he was concerned. He didn't like this. He didn't like arguing with his friend and he didn't like having to worry about his daughter. He sighed slowly through his nose. He knew Paige probably thought he was just being an asshole. That wasn't what he was trying to do. He was concerned for his daughter and only doing what he thought a father should. Jenny had told him not to be so worried about her, but he couldn't help it.

Goku rolled his eyes at the Namek. "Come by later when you think you've figured out what it means to be a kid again," he said as he turned and headed to Paige's room, leaning near her door, his voice dropping down to less than a whisper, "Visit any time you like." He looked over his shoulder at Piccolo and shook his head, "I'll see you later, Piccolo."

Piccolo waited until Goku's energy vanished before he turned and shot an accusatory glare at Dende. "You knew where she was," he said in a low tone. "You could've spared us half of that damn argument if you'd told me beforehand. And I wouldn't have had to call Gohan and get him all stirred up this morning, too."

Dende forced himself to not roll his eyes. "So you could go have that same argument at Tien's cabin? Sabriena is still their wife, I will have you know. If you would have liked to try that conversation with her, then by all means. You go and have a talk with her. Goten is spending the day there training if you want to go give him what for. It won't be as pleasant and you will likely have your ass handed to you on a platter," he said as he looked back out over the world, "You are overreacting. Paige and Goten are best friends. Despite what you may think, they will not hurt each other. It is near impossible."

Piccolo cringed as he thought about the shrieking he would have to listen to from Sabriena if she'd been part of that conversation. At least in that aspect, he and Goku's wife were very much the same when it came to their children; she was fiercely protective of Goten. He sighed and got to his feet once more. "Do you really blame me for worrying? I know Paige is grown now. It's painfully obvious to me and she's far too beautiful for her own good. Am I just supposed to not care? How do I balance wanting to protect her with letting her make her own mistakes?" The anger in his voice was gone. He didn't know how to handle this anymore. She'd grown up way too fast.

Dende sighed, "Of course you are supposed to care, but your role has changed now. It's up to her to make the right decisions now. Your role now is to be here waiting for her when she returns, hurt or unscathed and then you act accordingly. You and I know that life is far from fair. It is harsh and unforgiving, but having us. The people who care the most about her, who are waiting to pull her through should things go bad. You say you don't want anything to happen to her, but then nothing would ever happen to her. Do you understand?"

Piccolo raised his brow at his brother. "Did you really just quote a Disney movie at me?" He shook his head, the memory of his girls making him watch that movie over and over was painful in his mind.

Dende rolled his eyes, "With the amount of times you have seen them, I was hoping that I wouldn't have to. Did you learn nothing of the lessons that they were teaching your children?"

"You're being exceptionally smart-assed today," Piccolo remarked before he sighed and dragged a hand down his face. "I know what you mean. I do. I just don't know how to handle this." He swallowed and exhaled slowly again, regretting his temper. He should've taken more time to think things over before he blew up like that, though he still felt justified in his concerns. Maybe he just should've found a better way to handle it. "Can't we just, you know, let her get lost in the maze downstairs until I'm dead?"

Dende chuckled, "Do not joke about death, brother. It always lurks beyond the corner. It is the one thing I cannot change during these years of peace. Natural disasters occur every day and claim lives. I accept that it is a part of nature and how it is supposed to be."

Piccolo turned as a familiar humming sound reached his ears and a small smile pulled at his lips as his youngest daughter came into view. "Well at least there's one I don't have to worry about." He wrapped his arm around Alice's shoulders and pulled her skinny frame against his. He kissed the top of her head, closing his eyes as he rested his chin against her pale pink hair. He didn't have to lean over very far. She took after him more than her mother and was taller than her older sister. He thought about asking Alice what she thought of the situation. She usually agreed with him on most things, but then he thought better of it. If she thought he was in the wrong, then he'd be totally confused. And if she agreed with him, it might only drive a bigger wedge between his girls. They were already so different as it was. "I suppose you heard all that. I'm sorry," he murmured to her. Alice had never liked it when there were disagreements in the family.

Alice inclined her head, looking over at her mentor. She had been working with him, both on opposite sides of the Lookout as they listened to the earth. "Father, she is a wild spirit. You realize that the more you try to tame her, the wilder she will become?" she asked, slipping her arm around his waist.

"You're probably right," he grudgingly admitted. A small growl escaped his throat. "She's too stubborn and independent. I blame your mother for that." A smile tugged at his lips as he thought about his wife. She'd been quite the troublemaker back in her day, too. Of course, he reasoned that Jenny was never quite as bad about it as Paige was. "Why did you girls have to grow up so fast?"

Alice gave him a small smile. "I think I heard something once that time flies when you are having fun," she said, walking her father back around to her post on the Lookout. "And as for Goten. No, I don't need to be able to read minds to know that he is on yours. I think he is just trying to find his own way. And perhaps give a big middle finger to Chichi in the process."

"Now that would make more sense to me," Piccolo said, his expression turning dark at the thought of Goku's ex-mate. The things that woman had done were unforgivable and he didn't blame Goten one bit for defying that woman. In her efforts to still try to influence his life, she had probably pushed him into being the way he was. "I suppose I could understand that. Of course, I think any of us would go out of our way to irritate her at this point. No one has been able to stomach that woman in years."

"Indeed," Alice said, "I rather recall I didn't much care for her when I was younger." She looked out over the world as they neared the edge. "My honest thoughts on the situation. Paige is one of the few anchors Goten has keeping him in check. I know you say you don't want to see her hurt, or either one of us hurt. No one intends to hurt the other. It is true for most things, we hurt without meaning to and it can happen at any time. The important part is learning from our mistakes, growing, becoming a better person for it."

Piccolo paused in their walk and smiled at her. "When did you become so wise?" he asked. He heaved a sigh. "Alright, alright. I'll ease up on your sister. But any boy, and I don't care if it's Goten or anyone else for that matter, who breaks her heart will end up with his neck broken. If that's what she wants, then so be it. But I get to take care of it afterwards."

Alice laughed, a light and happy sound, "Daddy, if anyone breaks her heart, I doubt that there will be anything left of them to fill a matchbox." She smiled at him, he had hardly aged a day since she could remember and he had always been fiercely protective of their family. She loved him for it. "Let me refill your flask and then we can meditate for a while," she offered.

Piccolo smiled and kissed her head again. "Good girl," he said and watched as she walked away to get the water. He looked across the Lookout at his brother who had paused in his rounds. Dende looked rather proud of Alice and maybe a little smug that his niece had managed to get through to her father. "Don't look at me like that," Piccolo growled and turned away to sit and meditate again as Alice brought the water back to him.