Piccolo knew by the look on Dende's face as he returned to them that he wanted something that he knew Piccolo would not be too keen on. "What is it Dende? Why am I not going to like it? Did that shrew... er..." He cut himself off at remembering Gohan was beside him. "Did Chi-Chi do . . . need something?" He cast Gohan a look out of the corner of his eye, but the boy did not seem phased by his slip of tongue.

"She wants you to get Bulma," he answered. He waited for the vein in Piccolo's head to start throbbing as it did when he was highly annoyed. The way it had been throbbing when he arrived with Chi-Chi and Gohan.

Piccolo gritted his teeth and forced air out through them in exasperation. "Of course she does. One shrieking harpy isn't enough."

Gohan chuckled. "No wonder you never mention having a girlfriend. You can't stand women."

That statement earned him a cuff on the head from Piccolo. "Can it, kid." He smirked at him. "If they don't shriek and harp like your mom and Bulma... Besides, I don't think Nameks were meant to be with others species."

"Because there are female Namekians?" He asked pointedly.

'Smartass,' Piccolo thought with a smirk. So much for not talking about such things in front of Gohan. "Asexual, kid, remember. We spit up eggs." He smiled at him. He was wearing off on the kid. "I don't have the time for a mate." He was slightly amused by the light pink shade Gohan's skin had turned. Chi-Chi was going to kill them if she found out about this conversation and it was not even detailed.

"We can be with other species. I'm not sure if we can breed with them or not, though," Dende stunned the two of them. "But Nail knew that." He looked up at Piccolo. "Didn't he?"

Piccolo sighed and nodded. "Yeah, kid, he knew. Guess I'll go get the harpy." They could both tell he really did not wish to do so.

"Perhaps Gohan can get her?" Dende offered as a solution. He had already asked Piccolo to do one thing he did not want to do. He really did not want to ask him to do more, and he knew Gohan would not mind at all.

"Sure!" Gohan perked up. "I haven't seen Bulma in a while and I can look in on baby Trunks!" He grinned at them both. "I'll be back in no time!"

"Don't let Vegeta give you a hard time." Piccolo ruffled his hair. "Just tell Bulma that your mom and Dende need help with a project. I'm sure she'll take the break from her work to find out all about it if it has them working together and your mom away from pushing your studies."

"Good thinking, Piccolo!" He grinned again, just like his dad, and took off to get Bulma. He knew that her curiosity would get the better of her as it always did. He just hoped she did not ask questions he had no answers to. Piccolo had been holding back on telling him everyting. He just knew it. Sometimes they treated him like such a baby. If he was old enough to defeat Cell, fight all the times he had to protect what they held dear, he could be treated older. They could trust him to handle more.

Bulma was growling at some training robots Vegeta had yet again thrashed when Gohan finally found her. He had searched at least half of Capsule Corporation in looking for her, had seen baby Trunks, and been fed well by Mrs. Briefs. "There you are, Bulma!" He greeted warmly.

Bulma jumped into the air at his unexpected voice. "Geez, Gohan, a little warning." She glared at him for all of two seconds before smiling. "What brings you by, kid? I'm surprised Chi-Chi let you away from the books."

"That's why I'm here. She and Dende need your help with something. I don't know any details," he added quickly before she started firing away with the questions. Once she got started it would take her forever to get finished.

"Your mom and Dende?" Bulma was amazed. "What could they possibly be doing together, let alone need my help?" She eyed him. "You have to know a little bit about it. Come on, spill, Gohan." She moved toward him almost predatorily.

He waved his hands in front of himself. "Alright! Alright!" He had no doubts to the lengths she would go to get the least amount of information. "All I know is some alien crashed here a few days ago and Dende needed mom's help. I'm not all that surprised Vegeta didn't mention..." He trailed off at the look on her face. His diversion had worked. She was now upset with Vegeta instead of hounding him. Besides, he could feel Vegeta coming down the hall. He would get there before her mind diverted back to the other topic.

"Vegeta knows about it! Why does no one ever tell me anything!" The last was loud enough to make Gohan cringe as well as Vegeta as he walked in.

"What are you screaming about, onna? Are my robots fixed yet?" He eyed Gohan. "Kakarrot's brat. What do you want?"

"Vegeta!" Bulma rounded on him so fast he backed up a step in surprise. Her voice really could hurt, almost as bad as Kakarrot's onna. He idly wondered what nonsense had set her off this time. "Why didn't you tell me some alien had crashed on Earth!"

Vegeta rolled his eyes and waved his hand dismissively. "Just some escaped sex slave of very low birth. She's of no matter. About those robots..."

"No matter! You are such an ass, Vegeta! Out! Out outoutoutoutoutOUT!" She pointed to the door in a huff. She really wished it would do some good to smack him. She should send Chi-Chi and her skillet after his ass.

Knowing there was no reasoning with the stupid onna at the moment he growled and left. If they wanted to waste their time on the stupid slave, let them. He might even get a laugh out of the whole thing. He would have to follow them and observe, even if they did not want him to. Who were they to tell him where he could or could not go.

"Take me to them. Now, Gohan." Bulma was in a foul mood. Vegeta had a way of bringing that out in her faster than everyone and everything else. She had no idea why she was with him. 'Because he's great in bed and no one will mess with you because of him.' She sighed as she and Gohan walked outside. 'Not that he would actually protect you from anyone. If only Yamcha had been more reliant and stuff.' "Sorry about snapping at you, Gohan." She saw he had grown very quiet. "Vegeta just aggravates me."

"Do you love him?" He asked as he wrapped his arms around her and took to the air. He flew slowly to accommodate her. He often wondered if there was anything besides Trunks between them.

"I... I don't know. I'd like to think I do." Her face grew thoughtful. "I just don't know." Did she love him? She just was not sure. She would have to think about that innocent question, realizing it had always been in her mind as well.

"Well, he's following us." Gohan gave her a small smile. "We best not talk about it any more."

"That... that..." She growled really loud. "ASS!" She screamed behind them, causing Gohan to cringe yet again. "Sorry," she apologized when she realized she had screamed right in his ear, getting mad at Vegeta for making her. Or he had in her mind.

He chuckled. "It's okay, Bulma. I'm sure he heard you." The rest of the trip was made in silence, as they both stuck to their own thoughts.

Bulma sighed once her feet hit the lookout. "I really hate flying like that," she muttered. She looked around for Chi-Chi and Dende, spotting only Piccolo, whose eyes were behind her. 'On Vegeta no doubt.' She cocked her head. 'It's amazing how similar they are.' She shook her head. "Alright, where are they?" She marched up to Piccolo, getting only a half second glance down from him. He grunted and jerked his hand toward the lookout. "Gee, what a load of help you are!" She yelled up at him, throwing her hands up before storming inside. 'Men! I swear he and Vegeta can go screw themselves!'

The picture that put in her mind made her stop short then bust out laughing. The noise drew Mr. Popo to her. "Is something the matter, Miss Bulma?" He asked in concern. Her laughing was most unnatural.

"No, no. Everything is fine." She wiped her eyes. "Can you show me to Dende and Chi-Chi, please?" She fought to catch her breath. If only she could have shown Piccolo and Vegeta the image in her head and saw their reaction. 'They would have killed me over and over again.' She reasoned to herself.

"Right this way, Miss Bulma." He headed off down the hall, Bulma right behind him, showing her quickly to the female's room. "Here you are." He smiled at her before shuffling off.

Bulma entered expecting all numbers of things but the small girl sitting on the bed beside Chi-Chi was not any of them. "She's a baby!" She shrieked, moving immediately to the girl's other side. "You poor thing." She brushed back her hair gently. The girl was barely older than Gohan, if she was.

The girl had no idea what to do now with the two of them sandwiching her. Was one woman not enough? What did they want from her? Obviously they did not want her... services. She looked from one to the other then to the little green one across the room. She hoped her questions were in her eyes as she could not speak them where he would understand.

"They want to help you, like Popo and I." He smiled at her. "I'll leave you all alone." He toddled to the door and left the three females alone.

The girl looked between Chi-Chi and Bulma again. She did not know what to do, how to communicate. She had no idea what they intended to help her with, what she needed help with. Nor, did she know why they continued to treat her as they did. Their behavior was so... odd. She resigned herself to this new fate. It had to be better than what she had left, didn't it?