Prologue

"Okay you guys! Be nice!"

Bulma put her hands on her hips, her face marred with a frown. She pointed a finger at the group.

"My cousin is coming to stay with me, so you all give her the warm greeting she deserves! She just lost her home and she doesn't need any crap! That means you Vegeta!"

The prince scoffed, curling his lip at the woman before turning and walking out of the living room. He had better things to do than listen to her constant yakking!

Master Roshi chuckled, sliding in front of Bulma. "Oh yeah! I'll give her a warm greeting! Hehehe-"

He went flying through the wall seconds later, a grunt coming from the old man. Bulma lowered her arm, keeping her eyes closed. "That means you too, you big perv!"

Goku laughed, rubbing the back of his head. "It's okay Bulma," he stated loudly, laying a hand on her shoulder. "We'll be nice."

They all started talking amongst themselves, the volume growing until it sounded like everyone was shouting at each other. Bulma started talking to ChiChi, which resulted in Goku joining in. Then Master Roshi slid between the woman, earning a smack across the face from the two. Oolong snorted with laughter while Yamcha and Tien talked about fighting techniques. Krillin and Gohan were reminiscing about their time spent camping with Goku. The only one not adding anything was Piccolo, who was leaning against the living room wall, head bowed and arms crossed. His head jerked up a moment later, eying the front door. Another knock sounded.

"Hey guys," the namekian said quietly.

The gang ignored him. He grunted, narrowing his eyes.

"Shut up!" Piccolo said loudly, his ears ringing at the sudden silence.

There was another knock, this one more impatient then the last. Bulma let out a laugh, clapping a little as she ran to the door. The woman jerked it open, letting out a squeal, making everyone wince. She reached out and yanked the person standing there inside, slamming the door closed. Piccolo winced at the loud noise, glaring at the blue haired girl. Bulma ignored him, wrapping her arms around the woman holding a medium size bag.

"You made it!" Bulma squealed, jumping up and down a little, still holding the woman.

"Uh Bulma!" Yamcha said, laughing a little. "You gonna introduce us!?" he asked, crossing his arms with a smile.

The blue haired scientist quickly moved back, holding on to her cousin's arm. The woman didn't return the smile, her eyes wary, her posture standoffish. She had dark blue jeans on, a dark blue tank top covering her with black boots encasing her feet. She had the look of a fighter, but her body was slim, with slightly defined muscles. She was clutching a brown satchel in one hand. Her dark brown hair reached her waist, skimming the top of her jeans. But the most unusual feature on Bulma's cousin were her eyes. They were purple, the color so dark they were almost black. She eyed everybody in the room, not saying anything. Bulma put her arm around the woman's shoulders, giving her a slight hug.

"Everybody! This is my cousin, Sumi!" she said excitedly, her grin widening as she jostled the woman a little. The gang said their round of hello's, awkwardly studying the woman when she didn't say anything back. They watched her eye them for a moment before turning to her cousin.

"Thanks for the room and board B. I'd like to retire now," the woman said softly, her face set in a frown.

Bulma's eyebrows rose. "Oh...uh okay," she said, the disappointment apparent in her voice. The blue haired scientist pouted a little, before the smile returned. She started walking towards the stairs, her hands waving around as she talked.

"Hey, later me, you, and Chichi can go to the mall! I'm sure you need a few things," Bulma stated happily, disappearing around the corner.

They all heard the woman mutter to herself as she followed Bulma up the stairs, her brown bag clutched in her hand.

"What the hell have I gotten myself into," Sumi muttered before sighing, a slight scowl on her face as she disappeared behind her cousin.

...oOo...

"Come on Sumi! Hurry up!" Bulma shouted, pulling her purse from the couch cushion, where it got stuck earlier, forgotten in her excitement of her favorite family member coming to stay. Her mother walked in, patting her on the shoulder in greeting before heading for the kitchen. It was almost dinner time and if they were gonna get anything today, they needed to get going. Bulma glanced outside, sighing a little at the setting sun.

"Sumi! We need to go!" she shouted a little louder, banging her purse against her thigh in impatience. Where was that girl!? A sigh of relief left her at the sound of footsteps on the stairs.

Sumi slowly descended the stairs, dreading this little trip already. She caught sight of her cousin, and the bright green dress the woman was wearing. Good god! It hurt to look at it! She squinted a little, pulling her hair into a pony tail. She hadn't bothered to change, the only addition to her outfit was the jacket she threw on in anticipation of the cold night. She jerked the zipper up, a scowl on her face.

"Why do we have to go to the damn mall again?" she asked, shoving her hands in the pockets of her jacket. Her lips twisted slightly as Bulma beamed at her. The woman laced her arm through hers, pulling them out the door as she talked.

"Because silly," Bulma said excitedly, "It has everything we'll need!"

Sumi let out a deep sigh, glancing around as she walked to the car. "Oh Joy," she muttered, letting the scowl stay on her face as they all climbed in. She grabbed the bar above the door, silently praying as her crazy cousin shot forward, making them jerk slightly. She rolled her eyes. Well, if the loony woman wrecked the car, then she wouldn't have to go to the damn mall!

"Just peachy," she muttered softly to herself, wandering again why she chose to stay with the mad scientist.

...oOo...

They made it within record time, only having around ten minutes before the whole place closed. Sumi glanced at her watch, hoping the place decided to close early. Bulma opened the door wide, smiling back at her and Chichi before going through the second set of doors and disappearing into a store. No such luck. She grunted, walking beside the brunette as they made their way to the shop the blue haired woman went into. The smell of all the soaps and lotions assaulted her senses before she even went through the door, making her scrunch her nose slightly. She stopped, letting out a little sneeze before letting the door close. Without her going in. She sat on one of the benches in the middle of the aisle, crossing her arms. She saw Bulma glance out, saying something to Chichi and handing her something before coming out.

"Hey what's wrong?" Bulma asked, folding her arms as she walked up to her cousin. She raised an eyebrow as Sumi scrunched her nose.

"I can't go in there. The smells..." She trailed off, letting a breath out through her nose.

"Oh man!" Bulma said loudly, smacking her forehead. "I totally forgot about your sensitive nose! Okay! I'll be quick!" she said, walking quickly back into the store, and emerging a few minutes later, a bag hanging from her arm. She waved Sumi over, pausing and waiting for the woman to join them before moving on to another store. Sumi glanced at her watch again. Damn! Another five minutes to go. They entered another store, this one selling everything a person could possibly need. Bulma grabbed some toiletries and a hairbrush for her cousin, stating that she should grab anything else she thought she would need. Sumi didn't pick anything up. She noticed the brunette raise a brow at her, and shrugged. Her cousin had basically everything she would need, so she didn't need to buy anything. They were heading out the door as security was locking up, a slight wind blowing in. She saw her cousin shiver, wrapping the thin jacket around her. Sumi sighed, unzipping her own jacket and throwing it at the woman. Bulma quickly wrapped it around herself, eying the woman.

"But won't you get cold!?" Chichi asked, wrapping her own coat around her.

Bulma's cousin was silent for a moment. "No," she stated softly, crossing her arms. No one said anything after that as they made their way to the car, jumping in and quickly heading towards Capsule Corporation.

...oOo...

They made it back home in time to sit down for supper, Bulma and Chichi becoming the loudest as they started voicing their opinions about the guys going off to train after supper.

"I don't think so mister!" Chichi said loudly, grabbing Gohan and sitting him back down in his chair. Her eyes narrowed, a frown on her face.

"The same goes for you bucko!" Bulma stated, glaring at Yamcha as he tried to sneak out the sliding glass door. A yelp came out of him, and he chuckled a little, scratching the back of his head. He made his way back to the table, sitting down with a sigh.

Sumi snickered, a smirk appearing on her face as she watched the debacle. She forked more food into her mouth, amusement in her eyes. Bulma looked over at her, a brow raised.

"What?" her cousin asked, folding her arms.

Sumi chewed the rest of her food, swallowing before answering, picking up her glass as she shot a smirk at the couple again.

"I see who wears the balls in that relationship," she stated, taking a drink before setting her cup down, watching Yamcha's face go red, another snicker coming out of her. She picked up her plate and sat it in the sink, ignoring the slight glare from Bulma.

"That wasn't nice Sumi!" Bulma practically screeched, huffing a little.

The woman grunted, crossing her arms as she slowly walked back towards the table.

"But the truth," she said softly, raising a brow at the scarred warrior when he shot her a glare, a smirk appearing on her face as she strolled out the glass door.

...oOo...

She roamed the grounds, loving the silence around her and the smell of nature surrounding her. She came upon a large, round pod-like building. The thing was held up by legs sticking out of the bottom, stairs touching the ground leading up into darkness. She didn't go in, not really knowing what the thing was. She grunted to herself, walking around it and heading towards the greenhouse. She had to admit! Her cousin had an awesome garden! She loved nature, and loved taking walks through the various plants and trees her uncle and aunt kept on their massive property. She avoided the t-rex, not feeling like getting into a fight at the moment, and swung the door open, the heat almost suffocating as it hit her full in the face. She took a deep breath, stepping in and letting the door slam behind her. She surveyed the interior before moving, slowly walking down the little path winding through the foliage and massive flowers. She grabbed the lizard that fell on her shoulder, petting it for a moment before setting it on a bush as she passed, heading for the large pool in the middle of the greenhouse. She paused beside it, studying the slightly rippling water before bending forward, studying her reflection in the mirrored surface, a sigh escaping her.

"Still the same Sumi," she murmured, sitting down on the rocks circling the water, watching a few birds flit from tree limb to tree limb. It made her think of home, the woods that had encircled the back of her house, giving her a sense of security when nothing else did. Now it was gone. Damn poachers! Setting fire to her damn sanctuary in anticipation of some game, and lighting up her house in the process. A frustrated breath left her, and she glanced back down, watching the Koi and clown fish swim around for a few minutes before standing and making her way back towards the entrance. She walked slowly, watching the shadows on the dirt path move and sway as she reached the door, looking back one more time before stepping out, the cold air chilling her for a moment before her body adjusted, and she strolled forward, heading back towards the house. She passed the pod again, stopping this time when she caught sight of the red light coming from one of the small round windows. Curious, she levitated up, looking through one of the slightly bubbled windows, raising a brow at the sight of the person in there. There was a man standing in midair, slashing the air with his fists and legs, the shirt he had on was soaked with sweat. His shorts rode low on his hips, the shoes he had on more suited for a runner. His hair defied gravity, sticking straight up like he had a finger in a light socket. She snickered softly at that thought, watching with interest as he lowered, pushing buttons on the console in the middle of the pod before raising back up and resuming his workout. Sumi quirked a brow, curious as to who this was. She didn't meet him with the rest of her cousin's friends. She grunted a little, lowering back down, knowing that look on the man's face. He wasn't going to be done any time soon. She'd seen it plenty of times. Every time she looked in the mirror, the determination in her eyes, the set jaw hardening her face. She could tell she was currently sporting it now, thinking of her home, now reduced to ashes. She narrowed her eyes. No matter what was thrown at her, she wasn't giving up.

After all, she wasn't a quitter!

A/N: So how did you like the Prologue!? Please Review and let me know!