Piccolo knew humans were not exactly fond of him. They took to the saiyans better because they resembled mankind more closely. He was different from them. He was strange. He was inhuman. But he was fine with this, as he wasn't too fond of humans either. They could think what they wanted of him. He didn't need them. He had Rose. They could go on and do their own things so long as he had her to look after him.

However, he didn't seem to have her attention quite as much anymore as she began to bring that human named Greg around. Piccolo didn't understand this. Why did this human have such an interest in Rose? More importantly, why did she have such an interest in him? He had only spoken with her a few times.

He had watched the pair of them on many occasions. He would follow her around much like he did. He would make her laugh and smile. Piccolo frowned. That was his job….well, and Goku's and Vegeta's, but mostly his. Nonetheless it annoyed him. He supposed that wouldn't bother him as much if he knew why she liked the human so much. He wasn't a terrible human...there just wasn't anything special about him. He reacted the same way as any other human when any of them said or did something that humans don't usually do. Like when he tried to offer him food and Piccolo had told him he didn't eat, he tried to deny it at first.

"How can something not eat?" he had asked.

Piccolo shrugged. "I just don't," he responded bluntly.

Piccolo tried to watch him to figure out what she liked about him. He followed him without him knowing, but no matter how closely he watched him, he could never put his finger on what it was. He tried asking Goku why he liked him, but his answer didn't make any sense.

"Well, he's just a really nice guy," he said, "He's goofy and fun to be around. I like his jokes a lot and he thinks my martial arts are cool. And Rose likes him, so I like him!"

"But why does Rose like him?" Piccolo asked.

Goku thought for a moment before shrugging. "I don't know," he said, "He's a nice person so there's no reason for her not to like him. Maybe it's like Bulma and Yamcha. I don't know why they are always around each other, but they are. More than Vidalia and Vegeta. Sometimes it looks like they are stuck together…except when they're fighting."

Piccolo had no idea who Yamcha and Bulma were, but he didn't think he'd understand even if he did. As time went on, he became more and more frustrated with this Greg issue. Why wasn't there just a simple answer? What was so special about this human? He was just like any other wasn't he?

One day, Piccolo finally got his answer. Vegeta and Goku were off hunting somewhere and Rose had to go speak with Kami for a while. Piccolo was not fond of the older Namekian, and to be honest, Kami wasn't exactly comfortable around him either. So Rose had one option: have Greg look after him for the day.

"Be good for Greg, alright?" she said, leaning down to look him in the eye. Piccolo simply pouted and puffed out his cheeks. "Piccolo…" she warned.

"Ok…" he huffed in a child like manner.

"Come on kid," Greg said extending his hand out to him, "It'll be fun. You'll see." Piccolo didn't believe him but took his hand anyways. The man lead him over to his van. "I've got a treat for you," he said, pulling a juice pouch out of a box, "It's not cold, but I hope you don't mind. Rose said you liked this kind, right?"

Piccolo took the pouch and examined it. He nodded as he found it was blue raspberry flavored. He liked that kind. He stuck the straw in the pouch and began to slurp up the drink.

"So…" Greg asked awkwardly, "Do you like music?"

Piccolo thought for a second. He had heard Rose singing before and that was nice. That counted as music. But he had also heard Goku try to sing…. He wasn't sure what that counted as. Piccolo shrugged, more concerned with his juice.

"Well then, Here!" he said, pulling out a record player and hooking it up to a stereo. "Let me share some of my tunes with you." He put on the record and set it to play. "This is by a band called the Turning Stones," he explains, "They're a really popular human band and-"

"Stop it!" Piccolo demanded, clutching his ears, "Stop it stop it stop it!"

"Oh crud!" Greg yelped before taking the record of the turntable, "Aw man, I'm so sorry! I didn't know how sensitive your ears were…" He tried to get close to examine him, but the tiny Namekian glared at him and moved away.

Greg bit his lip. He felt terrible. He really didn't want to upset the kid. Rose had trusted him to look after him and he felt terrible. Honestly, he wanted to be closer to the little guy. He wanted to be closer with all her "children." He figured it must be weird to see their mom with someone. He didn't want to intrude on their lives but he did want to at least get along with them...which would have been hard already if they were only human but being aliens it added a whole nother layer of awkward. He didn't know anything about their races or what could set them off. Goku was the only one so far that genuinely liked him. He was pretty sure Vegeta only tolerated his existence because both Rose and Vidalia liked him. And now he was sure that Piccolo was on the road to disliking him too.

"Look, I'm really sorry," he said, "Is there some way I can make it up to you?" Then a thought came to his mind. "Oh! I know!" He went into the back of his van and pulled out a box of sidewalk chalk. "Here," he said, holding it out to him, "You can have this."

Piccolo took it and frowned. "I told you I don't eat," he stated.

"No, it's not for eating, its for playing with," he explained, "come on, let me show you." He grabbed his guitar case and took him by the hand as he headed up onto the sidewalk.

….

Piccolo had taken to the chalk pretty quickly. Although he was disappointed there was no green at first he still seemed to enjoy it. Greg strummed his guitar, playing a song quietly as Piccolo played on sidewalk. Occasionally someone would come by and drop some money in his case but it was otherwise pretty quiet.

"So…" he asked, "How long has Rose been looking after you?"

"A year," Piccolo responded, not looking up.

"Oh," he asked, "Where were you living before then?" He didn't know if that was an ok question to ask or not, but he didn't know what else to say.

"I wasn't," Piccolo said simply.

Greg blinked in surprise. "Come again?" he asked.

"I wasn't alive," he explained, "Rose found me as an egg when I hatched."

"Oh," Greg said, "Ok then." He sure was one big one year old... "So...do you have any little friends around here?" he asked.

"No," he said.

"Aww why not?" he asked.

"Because people think I'm strange," he stated.

Greg blinked in surprise. Did the kid really think he was weird? "You're not strange," Greg insisted.

"To humans I am," he said simply, "I'm green, I don't eat, and I don't have hair."

"Yeah, but everyone's a little different," he said, "And that's ok."

"I know it is," Piccolo said tersely not looking up. "Rose said that all creatures are unique and different." The two fell into silence as the kid continued drawing.

Suddenly someone on a bike rode past, a little to close to Piccolo for comfort. The kid jumped in surprise. He dropped his chalk and yelped. The child growled and glared at the man as he rode along without a second thought.

"Piccolo!" Greg cried, "Hey are you ok?" He looked the little Namekian over but he pushed him away, pouting at being fussed over. He knelt back down to continue his drawing when he realised something.

"My chalk!" he exclaimed, "Where is it?!" He looked around for it, but it was nowhere to be seen.

"Hey calm down," Greg said, "It's ok, we'll find it." But before he could say more, Piccolo spotted it down the boardwalk. The little alien ran towards it, paying no mind to Greg's protests...nor the humans practically standing on top of it. It was tourist season and as such the woman and her daughter knew nothing about the small town. It was their first time here. As they waited in line for fries at the Fryshack, the daughter noticed the piece of chalk roll up to her. She picked it up and examined it curiously.

"Give that back!" she heard a voice cry. The little girl looked up to see something green running towards her. It had sharp teeth, big claws, and antenna. It looked angry,

The little girl shrieked and tugged on her mother's skirt. "M-monster!" she cried, "Mommy! There's a monster that wants to eat me!" Piccolo paused in his pace at her words. What did she say. The mother looked in his direction and a look of shock and fear came over her face.

What the heck is that?!" she cried, "It looks like a gremlin!"

Piccolo's eyes widened for a moment as her words hit him. "I'm not a gremlin!" he growled, clenching his fists.

The mother didn't listen. "Stay away from that thing, Katie!" she cried picking up her daughter and running away.

Piccolo stared at them as they ran off. His face scrunched up and his fists shook. He wasn't a monster or a gremlin. "I'm not…" he muttered. Those humans were stupid. They didn't know what they were talking about. Right?

"Piccolo!" Greg called as he caught up to him, "Hey, little buddy, are you alright?"

"'M fine!" he muttered as he sniffled slightly.

Greg gave a concerned look. He had heard the girl scream. Although the kid probably didn't want to admit it, something like that probably would cut deep for him. "Hey," he said, "It's ok. Those guys? They don't know what they were talking about." He put a hand on the kid's shoulder. "The last thing you are is a monster," he said, causing the alien child to look up at him, "If anything, I think you're pretty out of this world!" He smiled at Piccolo, and Piccolo stopped sniffling. "Come on," he said, "let's gather up your stuff and get you another juice pouch. Rose is probably back by now."

The tiny Namekian took his hand and followed him. As they walked along he was lost in his own thoughts. Maybe this was why Rose liked him so much.

jeez it's been a long time since I've worked on thins fic! Sorry guys. I've been busy with other stories like my "charges of the flame alchemist". I've had this chapter in mind for a while though, and with the release of babysitter greg, I guess it was the perfect time to finish it. Speaking of which? What are your guy's thoughts on the Summer of Steven so far? Let me know what you think!