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Chapter Five

The branches above them were shining in the moonlight, as Goku and Gohan attempted to set up their tent. They had been at it for several hours now, as Gohan tried to explain how it was done, and Goku continued to knock it down.

Piccolo growled with annoyance, as he hovered a foot above the ground. Shoyu winced. Their arguing had to be grating on his last nerve, as even she was getting a headache.

"Enough, you two!" Shoyu said. "Goku, please just let Gohan and I set up the tent. You like to fish right? So go catch a fish or something."

Goku's eyes brightened. "Hey! That's an idea! I'll catch a big one." With that, he took to the air, searching for the closest lake.

Shoyu watched him go with a fond smile on her face. When she turned, she was met by Gohan's curious stare. "What?" She asked.

"You sounded like my mom just then." Gohan said, thinking aloud. "What are you? My long lost sister or something?"

Shoyu paled slightly, before she heard Gohan laugh. "Haha. That's funny Gohan." She said, laughing along with him.

When he turned to set the tent, finally, she sighed with relief.

He scared me for a second there. She thought as she helped him.

Twenty minutes later Goku returned with a huge fish. Shoyu's mouth watered at the sight, as she loved seafood.

When they had eaten their fill, which meant that Goku had gone to get a second large fish, she took the plates to the river to wash them. She sighed as she returned to the camp. Goku and Piccolo were having a light spar before bed, and Gohan was fiddling with something as he rested against a tree.

Shoyu went to sit with him, and brought along her book. Nothing like a bit of light reading before bed. She winced as she suddenly remembered what Chi-chi had asked her before they had left two weeks ago.

"Shu-chan! Before you go, will you do me a favor?" Chi-chi called as Shoyu opened the door. She turned back.

"Sure Chi-chi, what is it?"

She was handed a huge bag of schoolbooks. "Please make sure Gohan studies while he isn't training." Chi-chi whispered. "I can't have him falling behind in his schoolwork. He's such a bright little boy as I'm sure you understand."

Shoyu sighed lightly as she hefted the bag on her shoulder. "I'll do what I can, Chi-chi, but there's not much I can do if Goku wants him training instead of reading."

Chi-chi's eyes narrowed. "That Goku." She said. "He would rather our son grow up without an education like him, but Saiyan or not, he's still my little boy, and he's going to have to accept that what I say goes." She said with a stern look toward her unsuspecting husband. "Oh and I have something for you too!"

Shoyu was shocked, but only slightly. Chi-chi really was a very kind woman, always thinking of others. She was embarrassed, but a bit pleased that she was receiving a present from her mother.

"Here you go Shu-chan!" Chi-chi said, handing her a book. "You said you liked to read right? This is one of my favorite novels!"

"Are you sure it's okay to give it to me?" Shoyu asked. "I will be training after all. I wouldn't want it getting messed up."

"Nonsense. I know you'll take good care of it."

"Thanks." She said with a smile. "Well, I'll be off then."

"Bye!"

"Bye mom!"

"See you in three months Chi-chi!"

Shoyu dug into her bag and pulled out Gohan's math book. Advanced Trig? She thought in amazement. I know Nii-chan was smart, but this is ridiculous.

"Gohan." She said as she sat next to him. "I'm sorry, but you're mom made me bring this. She said to make you study. Apparently she's making a test covering the next ten chapters for when you get home."

"Wow." Gohan said, "That's less than last time. When I was on Namek I had to read thirty chapters."

"…!" Shoyu stared in shock.

"Seems mom is finally letting up a bit." Gohan said happily as he began his homework.

"This is…letting up?" She muttered.

Shaking her head, she opened the book and began to read.

After two hours of sitting still, she noticed that the sounds of fighting had stopped. She felt eyes on her and looked up. Goku and Piccolo were looking at the two of them, one with boredom, and the other shock.

"Gohan…" Goku said. "You don't need to study out here, your mom isn't here you know."

"Mom sent Shu-chan with my books. She's making a test to make sure I did study." Gohan said.

Goku looked at Shoyu then. "Chi-chi asked you to make Gohan study? But why?"

Shoyu shrugged. "Well, it is important."

Goku looked like he'd been shot.

"Well it is!" She defended. "Besides, you should be proud. Gohan's intelligence is way above his age range, and he's a good fighter. You really should nurture both, not just one. Both you and Chi-chi should to come up with a compromise."

Goku looked to be thinking it over. He then nodded. "You're right."

"I know I'm right. Even with fighting, if you don't have brain smarts, you can only be so successful. If you can think of a strategy you'll be much better off." Shoyu said as she stretched.

"As much as it pains me to agree in this situation, Goku, the girl's right. You don't think before you act. That's why you got beat so badly on Namek. You didn't have a plan." Piccolo said.

Goku frowned slightly put out that everyone was against him. He turned to Shoyu, "What about you? Did Chi-chi give you some homework too?"

She smiled. "No, I got a book instead."

At Goku's horrified expression she said, "Not to study, to read for fun. Relaxation when we aren't training."

Gohan giggled lightly at his father's confused look. "Dad can't read very well, so books aren't his idea of fun." He confided.

Shoyu's playful smirk fell as she heard him. "Goku, while we're out here, when you're taking a break, I'll help you to read better."

He smiled brightly before agreeing. Chi-chi will be very happy if I do that!

That night before bed, Shoyu carefully put the book aside, and headed to the nearby stream to wash her face. As she was washing her hands she heard the whisper of footsteps sliding through the grass. She turned to see Piccolo begin to hover. She began to make her way quietly back to camp. Gently rising into the air, she smiled at the meditating Piccolo before a huge gust of wind caught her, and her jacket flapped in the violently.

"Ah!" She gasped as several photo's flew from her pocket. With horror she watched on as they were headed for the river. Putting on a burst of speed, she caught a few before they hit the water, but the last one was too far for her to reach.

She dropped from the air onto solid ground. Those photo's were very important to her and she'd lost one.

She looked at the ones left. Her and Trunks in the middle of an intense spar, dressed in their best for a memorial service for their parents, Gohan when she was four, proudly holding up her hand in victory, and…

"You dropped this." She heard.

Turning she saw the photo she thought she had lost. "Thanks Piccolo." she said gratefully as she took it.

"When was this taken?" He asked.

"When I was six." She replied with a smile. "We weren't expecting it."

She grinned as she remembered.

Shoyu ran outside her tent as she tightened her belt. she saw Trunks standing there waiting for her.

"Hey Trunks!" She said cheerfully. "Let have fun today, kay?"

"Yeah!" Trunks said.

"Where's Mr. Piccolo?" Shoyu asked, looking around.

"He went to get some water." Trunks said before asking. "Hey Shoyu?"

"Hm?" She asked.

"Why does Piccolo like you best?" There was a light blush on his face.

Shoyu giggled. "Because I don't skip out on the training."

"Oh." Trunks said, embarrassed.

Shoyu began to do her stretches.

"Um… Shoyu?" Trunks said.

"Yeah?"

"Why did Gohan just take a picture of us?"

Shoyu looked up and grinned. "Silly!" She said, straightening her belt again. "Mr. Piccolo doesn't like camera's. Nii-chan wouldn't bring one to camp!"

Another flash.

"He just took another one…"

She giggled. "Silly Trunks!"

She told Piccolo the story, and just hearing it made his ear twitch slightly.

"Well, I'm going to go to bed now, see you in the morning for meditation!" She said as she flew off.

Once in her tent, she formed a ball of Ki, and let it float gently by her side. She took out the pictures again and rifled through it. She blushed. "Good thing he didn't catch this one." She said to herself as she viewed the photo.

Gohan must have just gotten the camera from Bulma, because this was the oldest photo she had. It was a week after she'd been rescued from the rubble of her parent's home. She must have been colicky or something, because Piccolo looked as if he hadn't slept in days. His clothing was mussed and he'd fallen asleep. Not the kind he did when he meditated, but real sleep.

Piccolo was asleep leaning against a slightly crushed bush, and she, only weeks old, was cradled carefully so he didn't drop her. The baby was sleeping soundly against his chest, her thumb in her mouth. This was the only picture of Piccolo she had, because he'd been so exhausted he actually fell asleep, and so he never knew it had been taken.

Yeah, definitely glad he didn't see this one. She absorbed the Ki back inside her and closed her eyes.

Authors Note: Sorry for the lack of updates, but I just got a job! Finally after a year and a half! It's at a daycare, so I've been very tired, but I finally made time to update this.

Hope you enjoyed it, and as always, please review and let me know what you think.

~Kiera