CHAPTER 9

Sabriena stepped back, her hands on her hips and a satisfied smirk on her lips as she surveyed her work. The formerly dull white walls were now a shimmering, glittery hot pink. The flat blue bedspread had been replaced with a frilly, sequined comforter. And the bare floor now sported the fluffiest furry white rug Sabriena could get her hands on.

"Perfect!" she said and happily clapped her hands. She was rather proud of herself, to be honest. It had taken her all day to paint that room. Come to think of it, she hadn't even eaten yet and it was already late afternoon. Wiping her hands on her old jeans, she headed out to see about making herself something to eat. She paused when she caught sight of Dende standing at the edge of the Lookout, staring down at the world. 'Doesn't he EVER do anything else?' she thought to herself. She cringed when he shot her a look.

"Sorry!" she called, screwing up her face semi-apologetically and giving him a wave. "Forgot you could hear my thoughts." For a moment, she thought about just leaving him be, but then she crossed the white tiles to where he stood. "You hungry? I was gonna make a sandwich or something," she offered, thumbing over her shoulder at the kitchen.

Dende managed a strained smile for her, the morning had been stressful with some conflicts arising in one section of the world. Sabriena's presence was surprisingly a welcome relief. Her thoughts were just loud enough to dampen the near shrill cry he could hear rising from the Earth herself. He nearly laughed at the thought, peace from chaos. Who would have figured?

He flexed the grip on his staff, loosening his fingers to get the blood flowing back into them. "I think I may take you up on that offer today, Miss Sabriena." He looked over the edge again, down at the world below. "Today has been one of the trying ones. I could use a small break."

Piccolo landed on the Lookout, a frown crossing his face the instant he saw Sabriena standing there talking to Dende. He could smell the paint fumes in the air, could see the pink streaks across her jeans. "What have you done now," he asked flatly, crossing his arms over his chest. So much for calming himself by meditating next to that waterfall on Tien's land. His mood was ruined again.

It took everything Sabriena had not to roll her eyes. "Not that it's any of your business," she said, sneering slightly in his direction, "but I fixed my bedroom. Those boring white walls were enough to make a person want to scream. They're better now." She beamed proudly, puffing her chest up a bit, her hands on her hips. "I even managed to find paint with glitter in it. You're welcome to check it out. Hell, if you're nice, I might even consider painting your rooms for you both."

Dende blinked at her, realizing that the pink streaks she wore were not part of her outfit. "You painted your room pink?" He felt a blush creeping over his cheeks as he had not even paid her the slightest bit of attention that morning. It had been a rare morning. Quiet, peaceful. He should have known that was an obvious warning sign. "I will have to politely decline your offer." He eyed the shocking shade of pink that she had on her. "It might be a bit too much for me."

"I didn't mean it had to be pink. I could do blue or green…"

"You have no respect for this place, do you?" Piccolo interrupted, cutting her off. He could feel his eye starting to twitch, his irritation growing with every moment spent in her presence. He shot Dende a glare that clearly read, 'I still cannot believe you agreed to let her stay here.' Crossing his arms over his chest, he stepped closer to Sabriena, staring down his nose at her. He towered over her, and to an outsider it might've been almost comical the way she glared defiantly back up at him. "This isn't your home. You are a guest here. Perhaps you should keep that in mind the next time you decide to disrespect your hosts' home."

"Disrespect… I… you… It's just some fucking paint!" she protested. How dare he call her disrespectful. "You can change it back in a year when I leave. It's not like it's that big of a deal." She stared at him for a minute, just totally dumbfounded that he was making an issue out of this. No one had ever had a problem with her decorating her own space however she saw fit. "Dende!" she protested, turning to the other Namek. "Is he serious? It's just some damn paint!"

The younger Namek sighed softly as he looked at his brother. He stood up straighter. "Piccolo, if she were any other place, they would give her the chance to make the space her own. You have to admit that these are unusual circumstances." He looked back to Sabriena, giving her a smile, "The room is yours to do as you please. Just don't break anything."

A smug little smirk crossed Sabriena's lips and she spun on her heel to face Piccolo again. "HA!" she laughed. "Even your brother's on my side. Now, anything else you wanna bitch about, or are you ready to get your panties out of a twist?"

A heavy sigh escaped Piccolo as she got closer to him. Her voice grated on his nerves, the sheer smugness emanating from her. He didn't know if he could last a year around her. "Get away from me," he growled and turned away, shoving her away from him. He wasn't used to being around someone so much smaller and weaker than himself, and he pushed her harder than was necessary. Her piercing scream met his ears a moment later as she fell back and slipped over the side of the Lookout. For the briefest second, his eyes went wide, but then it was his turn to smirk as he crossed his arms over his chest again and looked over the side. "Serves her right."

The moment Goku appeared on the Lookout was just in time to see a hand disappear over the side with Piccolo and Dende staring over. His eyes narrowed and he felt his power surge through him as he dashed towards the edge and dove off the side. His eyes widened as he spotted the woman flailing wildly as she plummeted towards the earth. "Hang on!" he shouted as he sped up, reaching out for her. Their eyes met and he could see the absolute fear and panic in them.

It happened so fast, Sabriena couldn't even register what was happening to her, other than to scream. She was standing on the Lookout, then she was falling, falling, falling, nothing but the earth far below her and the rush of wind in her ears. And then there was Goku, racing towards her. She frantically grabbed his hand and let him pull her into his arms. She opened her mouth, trying to speak, but no sound would come out as she wrapped her arms so tight around his neck she could've choked him. A dry sob slipped out, but no words as she trembled in his arms.

Goku carefully wrapped his arms around her, holding the small body tightly to him as he leveled out and slowed them to a stop. She had quite the strong grip on him. "Hey, shhh. I got you. You're okay. I won't let you fall." He rubbed at her back a moment before he looked up at the Lookout, now far above them. "I suppose I should have given you a flying lesson or two before leaving you that high up." He looked back down at her, she hadn't loosened her grip on him yet. "Are you okay?"

"No," she squeaked, shaking her head adamantly. Part of her questioned if he really was there, or if she'd hit the ground and died and this was all part of her imagination. She clung to him, her eyes squeezed shut, refusing to look at him or the ground or anywhere for that matter. Her throat was dry, it almost felt as though she'd torn her vocal chords from screaming. "Get me somewhere solid," she begged, her voice a whisper. "I'm going to kill him."

The Saiyan nodded and started flying again back up to the top of the Lookout. "Kill who? You mean you didn't accidentally slip off up there?" he asked as he brought them to the temple, landing safely away from the edges before setting her down on the ground. "There we go! Piccolo! You'll have to teach her how to fly! It was luck that I showed up when I did!"

"He's the one who pushed me over the side!" Sabriena cried, finding her voice just as soon as she found her footing. "You son of a bitch," she snarled, glaring daggers at Piccolo. She balled up her fist and stomped towards him, wanting to hurt him, but she stopped herself and stared up at him again. "You tried to kill me!" she accused. Angry tears burned the corners of her eyes, but she didn't let them fall. It seemed to sink in then, he really was going to let her fall to her death, and she took a step back out of his arm's reach, a look of true fear in her eyes. "I'll murder you in your sleep," she hissed.

Piccolo really did roll his eyes then. He wouldn't have let her actually hit the ground, but Goku had beaten him to saving her. Which was even better in his book. "If you think you're big enough," he growled. "Maybe next time, you'll think twice before being so disrespectful."

Dende pressed his lips thin, feeling the sudden rush of emotions from Sabriena, the terror, the fear that he might do it again. It was making him dizzy. "Brother," he warned, "You, too, are being disrespectful. I understand this is a difficult situation for all of us, but this is unacceptable. She has my permission to stay here, will you not respect that?"

It was tempting to tell Dende no, but Piccolo held his tongue. No one had even bothered to ask him his opinion on whether or not she should stay. But Dende had made that decision and Piccolo wasn't going to argue it. But he didn't have to like it either. More to the point, he could see that this was bothering Dende. He would just have to steer clear of the annoying little human for his brother's sake. "Hmph," he huffed and turned, striding across the Lookout to his usual spot to meditate. 'You know I wasn't going to let her hit the ground,' he thought clearly, knowing Dende would hear his thoughts. He was used to Dende reading his mind, and it never bothered him.

Several ways to respond went through Dende's mind at once, reflexively tightening his fingers around his staff. He let out a breath slowly, feeling the wind around him shift slightly with him. He spoke calmly, meeting the Saiyan's eyes warmly as he spoke, "You should go spar with Goku for a while. He sensed you were here and was going to ask."

Piccolo turned, thinking maybe a good spar with Goku was just what he needed. He started towards the Saiyan, but a sudden strike of lightning made him jump backwards, nearly tripping over his own feet. "The hell?" he asked as he regained his balance, blinking from the scorch mark on the tile to the others, his eyes landing on Sabriena. For a split second, she looked furious, her blonde hair almost shining with a light of it's own, her eyes lighter than usual, but it all quickly disappeared and her expression changed to a look of horror. "Did you-"

The blood drained from Sabriena's face. No. No, no, no, it had been so long since she'd lost control like that. Not that she would've cared if he'd been struck dead, but she'd worked hard to not slip like that, to not lose control. Her mouth worked like a fish out of water for a moment, her whole body feeling electrified. "I… I'll make those sandwiches," she said quickly to Dende, feeling lame for not having something better to say, but her mind was a whirlwind. Her feet felt like lead, rooting her to the spot, but the next second she forced her legs to move and practically ran towards the kitchen, disappearing through the doorway.

Dende only caught a fraction of what went through her head before she was gone. He was left standing there, blinking at Goku. He shook his head quickly as the other man opened his mouth, an excited gleam in his eyes, "I am certain she has had enough excitement for one day. Go on. See if you can get my brother to take out some of his frustrations on you."

Goku pouted only a moment before he brightened up, Dende reminding him the reason why he had come over in the first place. "Oh, alright. I'm sure a good spar will be just what he needs!" he commented absently as he headed over towards Piccolo, "What was all of that about anyway?"

"It's nothing," Piccolo answered, his mind buzzing with what had just happened. That lightning, that was no accident, no mere coincidence. Sabriena had caused it somehow. And that thought unsettled him more than he cared to admit. He shook his head to clear his mind; maybe a spar with Goku could let him work off some frustration. He rolled his shoulders back, loosening himself up just a moment before he dropped into a defensive stance. "Come on, then. I could use it anyway."

Dende turned and watched them for a moment, Goku dropping down into a stance before the fighters moved so fast, they blurred out of view. He shook his head before heading towards the kitchen. He could hear the Lookout's guest moving around long before he found himself standing in the doorway. "Are you alright?" He knew now was not the time to be caught reading her thoughts.

The knife slipped from her hand and clattered across the countertop as she jumped. "You move too quiet," she accused, shooting him a glare over her shoulder. She took a deep breath and set her jaw as she grabbed up the knife and went back to fixing the sandwiches. "I'm fine," she said tersely, her mind blazing with questions of her own. She could practically feel Dende's gaze on her back, and she wondered if she could get away with not talking about it. Probably not. "I didn't mean to," she finally said without turning to look at him, her attention still on the food.

The little huff of laughter escaped him before he could stop it and he ducked his head as walked over to lean against the counter next to her. "I know you didn't. It was a reflex. My brother had that one coming to him." He looked up at her the next moment. "Pardon my asking, but that felt unlike any energy attack that I am familiar with. Are you even aware of what you did?"

Sabriena thought about it for a minute. "No," she answered, still not looking at Dende. A muscle twitched in her jaw as she thought about what she should or should not tell him. Then again, maybe he understood this sort of thing. He was the guardian of Earth after all. "We don't know how it happens," she said carefully. "It just… does. Not like that," she said, gesturing with one hand. "It's usually, like, a lightbulb will pop or sparks or something." She sighed. "It's all fucked up."

"Fascinating," the Namek murmured as he thought about the moment, "It's an older form of natural energy. I'm sorry to say I have not studied it as extensively as I would have liked." He managed a smirk at that and gave her a sheepish look. "I believe the college equivalent would be that I have 'slacked off'." He rolled his staff between his palms. "You said 'we'. The other women you traveled here with, your friends. They can do this as well?"

A curse word echoed through her mind. "Yeah. It happens," she said, licking the knife clean and offering him a plate with a sandwich, no meat of course. "None of us understand it. Not even Gramma and she understands everything. Even in all of her books and stuff, there's nothing about it." She shrugged, looking at her nails for a moment. "Jenny's the best at not losing her temper. It's different for her, though. It's always water. Lindsey sets shit on fire," she muttered, her mind screaming at her to shut up, that she was telling too much, that they'd all be sent home by morning if she didn't stop talking. She suddenly met Dende's eyes. "It won't happen again."

"Wouldn't be the first time. It won't be the last time. Accidental power slips are fairly common around here." He lifted his hand as if he were telling her a big secret, before he accepted the offered plate from her, "To be honest, Goku has those more than anyone I know. Not energy attacks, but smaller things. Mostly drinking glasses."

"Well keep him away from the good china then," she replied sarcastically and bit into her own sandwich, leaning against the counter. It surprised her how calm Dende was about this. Not that it surfaced terribly often, but ever since these strange occurrences had started to happen, she'd worked very hard to hide it from anyone. She wasn't used to talking about it. "Soooo," she drawled, chewing slowly before she swallowed, "you don't think I'm weird?"

"I am a green alien, living on top of a sky temple with friends who can fly and shoot energy attacks at each other as a fun pastime." He gave her a look with a brow raised. "No, I do not think you are weird. I would suggest adding an hour of meditation to your day to help you further control those outbursts, but I know you and silence are old enemies."

She wrinkled her nose at him. "Ain't nobody got time for that, Dende," she said. "And there wouldn't be any outbursts if your dickhead brother would keep his hands to himself. That's twice he's tossed me around like a ragdoll." She scowled as she ate her sandwich, trying to think of a way to get revenge on Piccolo. He would pay for what he'd done. "He's not getting away with that shit."

"He is not as bad as he used to be," Dende said as he ate his sandwich with a thoughtful expression.

"There's no way he was worse than this," she deadpanned.

The Namek only grinned wider and laughed as he met her unbelieving look. "Oh yes. Actually tried to kill Goku on a number of occasions, but that's usually how it is. Where you do not actively seek my brother out, Goku has and will continue to do so because he is a glutton for pain that way. It worked, by some miracle. His own little magic, I suppose. To bring around even the coldest of hearts." He chuckled, "Or annoy them into submission. And I mean that in the best way."

Sabriena thought about Goku, wondering if he could actually stand a chance against Piccolo. The Namek dwarfed him in height, but she knew better. She'd seen plenty of fights back home. Size alone wouldn't win a fight. "Heh. If I wanted to annoy him, I'd just bring Jenny around again. She practically shoved that cake in his face trying to get him to eat it." She snickered at the thought, but then shuddered the next moment. "Scratch that. She likes your brother a little too much. That's the last thing I need is my best friend falling in love with that asshole."

Dende only chuckled more at the thought. "Your friend actually 'liked' that? My brother won't be pleased to hear that. He might toss the whole cake next time and I won't stand for that." He leaned back in his chair as he finished off the last bit of his food. "My advice would be to not let Piccolo get to you. He's just gotten protective of this place. Me. Add that with zero tact and he can come off as a bit of an ass."

"Not-" Sabriena choked on her sandwich and had to grab for a glass of water before she could swallow properly. "Not let him get to me? He threw me off the Lookout!" she shrieked, gesturing so wildly a piece of tomato flew out of her sandwich. "He's not a bit of an ass. He's an ass. A whole one. With a big thorny stick up it." She blinked as if she couldn't even comprehend Dende's words. "Not let him get to me," she snorted. "No, I'm going to teach him not to piss me off."

The guardian gave her a cautious look before he lifted a shoulder in a shrug. "Might I remind you that you only have to put up with this for a year. I am left with the consequences after you have gone." He looked down at the empty plate before he met her eyes again. "I am sorry this location isn't what you are used to." He did think it was odd that someone would travel somewhere new and then be upset that it was not exactly what they had left behind. "In truth, you are one of the strangest guests we've had in awhile. It will be a learning experience for the both of us."

A smirk crossed Sabriena's lips as thoughts of revenge against Piccolo started to form in her mind. She brushed the crumbs from her fingers and left her plate in the sink as she pushed away from the counter. "Oh, it's gonna be a learning experience for someone."