~Lee~
The nights in the bathtub and out in the desert with Piccolo were a dream come true. Something I won't soon forget. Every time I think of it, I smile. We were closer then we had been before. Much closer. Almost as if he had left a part of himself inside of me. Sometimes I worry about him being out there all alone, though. I know he can take care of himself if he got in a fight or whatever. But I love the guy to death and I still worry about him.

I've known fear a lot of times. Fear of the unknown. But I've never been as scared as I got recently. Nor will I forget the very odd experience I went through. I don't want to ramble, so I'll get straight to the point. I always mind my own business. It's a habit I call being polite. But that kind of changed when I arrived in the valley where Piccolo lives. It was way too windy. There was a deafening roar and I was literally blown over and sandblasted, but I covered my face to protect my eyes from the dirt that was flying around. Just because my eyes don't see doesn't mean that they don't get uncomfortable if something gets in them. There was a faint hissing noise when I stood up again and dusted off. I must have been totally filthy!

"Dammit! What the heck is going on!" I muttered to myself as I groped around the hot, dusty ground for my cane.

Bumping noises came from the direction of the loud noise I'd heard a moment ago. I ignored it though and kept groping for my cane. I felt the smooth handle and reached to pick it up when something suddenly came down and pinned it to the ground, preventing me from lifting it. There was a rustle of cloth and a puff of air as the person that was present exhaled noisily.

"What the? Hey, Piccolo if that's you, that's not funny." I commented, turning my face towards the general direction of the foot.

"Piccolo? No, sorry. You have the wrong guy." Said a voice that was somewhat deep and had a slight rich-boy type accent to it. A hand grabbed the back of my shirt and lifted me into the air. The person chuckled in a manner that made me cringe and I took a swing at him with my left hand the way Piccolo taught me. The person grabbed my arm and shoved it back. "Don't try it, dearie. It won't work."

"Put me down! Hey!" I yelled as this person carried me away. I left my cane there, hoping Piccolo would find it and see I was in trouble. "Let me go! What is up with this!?" I screamed as I tried to kick the person that was carrying me. One of my feet connected with his stomach, but it hurt! He must have either had really hard abs or was wearing armor. If I was a betting woman, and I'm not, I would have guessed it was armor. I even tried to grab the little can of pepper spray that I keep in my pocket, but the stupid thing was stuck!

"Quit squirming! It won't help you, little girl." Said the person that was carrying me. He carried me inside of something, and I knew it because the hot air suddenly turned cool. I had no idea where I was now.

I kicked the man harder, and this time my aim was lucky. It hit him right between the legs and he dropped me real quick. He screamed an obscene word and I held my arms out in front of me as I ran without having a clue where I was running to. I just ran in the direction opposite that I was being taken. Yes! I could feel the warm air blowing in from outside in a strong breeze. There was no sound, no warning for what happened next. I was running full speed towards the warm air when I suddenly collided with something hard. I literally bounced off whatever I hit and landed on my back with a loud, "OOF!" Dazed, I got up again and tried to go around whatever I'd run into. Unfortunately, that was not to be.

Apparently, I had collided with a person, not an object. Because when I moved, the obstruction in my path moved with me. A hand clamped painfully on my shoulder, and whoever it was had strangely soft skin. Then a voice spoke to me. "Well, well, well, what have we here?" This person sounded like a cross between Joan Rivers and Fran Dresher. I don't know who this person was, but they sure sounded like a woman to me.

"Let me go lady!" I tried to get away from the person, but he or she wouldn't let go.

"Aha! HA HA! Zarbon! She thinks I'm a woman! What is she, blind?" Said the person that had ahold of me.

"As a matter of fact, Master Freeza, she is." Said the deeper voice with the accent. That must have been Zarbon.

"Oh is that so?" Said the guy called Freeza. "Well then I might have some fun with this one."

"Let me go you stupid household appliance wanna-be! If Piccolo finds out about this…he'll beat you senseless!" I shouted, squirming in attempt to shrug off Freeza's hand. His grip was like a steel vice, and I couldn't even dig my nails into his skin to make him let go. His skin was as soft as a rose and strong as metal. Very weird. Once again, since it had worked on Zarbon, I kicked my foot out. Something wrapped around my ankle and stopped my foot in mid-kick.

"That was naughty. And did you say Piccolo? As in the Namek? How very interesting." Freeza purred mockingly. "Come along." He literally dragged me back down the corridor and into another, larger room. The floor and walls were metal, I soon realized. I could hear Zarbon following, and even tried to kick at him. All that did was make him laugh at me. "So tell me…" Freeza began as he tossed me on the floor like a bag of trash. "What all do you know about this…Namek."

When Freeza asked me this, I realized that he was out to hurt Piccolo. I had no way to warn Piccolo that he and I were both in danger. Well if that meant I had to die, then I guess I'd have to die. Because I wasn't going to tell him anything else. "I'm not telling you anything you freak."

Piccolo had to know something was wrong. He just had to…

~Freeza~
Humans are funny, weak little things. Kind of like the ants they squash. I had been in orbit observing them for some time when I noticed one heading out into a location where no human belonged. Now why would a human do that? I wondered as I tapped one hand against the side of my hoverpod and cradled a goblet of sweet-tasting red wine in the other. Well that's when the long-range scouter on the ship located a power level that was quite familiar. A Namek. Yes, planet Namek was definitely a party. I ran into one particular Namek that was a worthy opponent. For a little while anyway. And when those idiots made that wish to revive anyone I killed, they made a mistake. After all, my own attack got me. So I wound up back in my ship(I have no clue how it was in one piece) when I woke up. Don't ask me how Zarbon is alive. I have no idea. He was just as baffled as I was when we woke up in my ship. Apparently the stupid dragon's wish stayed in action until the planet blew up.

Aren't humans just a scream? Mwa ha ha! Back to what I was saying. I had found that Namek's power level again, and noticed the lone human heading his direction. She had almost no power level, so she wasn't going out to fight. This was just perfect. I could kidnap the human and hold her for ransom against the Namek. How else will I get my hands on those lovely Dragon Balls?

"Sir, there's plenty of space to land. If the human sees us, she won't get far." Zarbon stepped into my personal quarters and swung his long green braid over his shoulder. "She'll be easy to kill."

"I don't want her killed, Zarbon. Capture her. She's going out to see that Namek, and I want her so I can use her to get those Dragon Balls. And while you're at it, get my manicurist in here." I replied without turning around as I took a sip of the gloriously sweet wine. Zarbon's obedience is one of many reasons I have him work for me. He doesn't screw around when he gets an order like most of the poor dopes that I know. So I wasn't too surprised when my manicurist appeared in less then a minute and started working on my fingernails. Hey, if I'm going to scare the hell out of people, I might as well do it when I'm looking my best. And just for the record, I am not gay. Neither is Zarbon. Although I do wish Zarbon would act like a man more often. Heh. Oh well, it's not my problem so I'll leave it for now.

I examined my nails when my manicurist had finished and left. Perfect as always. Outside, the view of the blue planet grew larger and larger until the ship touched down. It was so hilarious when that pathetic human fell over and got covered in dust. Served her right for poking around where she didn't belong. But that's when I noticed something very odd. When the girl got up, she didn't look at the ship. She started to feel around on the ground. Humans must be very stupid.

Zarbon walked right up to her and put his foot down on the white stick she must have been searching for. The human put up a pretty good fight for such a weak little insect, but Zarbon still overpowered her. Showtime. I hopped out of my hoverpod and walked out into the corridor to find Zarbon doubled over. The fool! I had to do everything around there! The human was running, so I simply levitated over her head and blocked the way to outside, standing there with my arms crossed, waiting for her to stop and tremble in fear. The girl didn't stop. She plowed right into me and fell on her ass. To me, it felt like someone was tapping me on the shoulder. The girl got up again and tried to go around me, but I stepped into her path and grabbed her shoulder to keep her from even trying to escape again. "Well, well, well, what have we here?"

"Let me go lady!" The girl shrieked, trying in a pathetic display of squirming to escape my grasp. I took that moment to observe her features. She was only a little taller then I am. Her yellow hair was cut just above her shoulders and she had green eyes. Green like the grass on the planet. She also had blemishes called freckles all over her cheekbones and the bridge of her nose. That's when I noticed something strange about her eyes. Her eyes didn't meet mine at all. In fact they just had a weird looking stare to them. Zarbon then took the time to alert me that this girl was blind. The girl tried to kick me between the legs, but I just used my tail to stop her foot. Zarbon and I spent some time laughing at her and humiliating her, then we dragged her to my quarters. She definitely knew the Namek. Even called him by name. Indeed, this plan was unraveling beautifully.

"Leave us, Zarbon. She's not a threat." I commented as I strolled to my hoverpod and hopped in. "So, girl…"

"My name is Lee." The girl snapped, pressing her back against the wall, as if to be as far away from me as she could be. She was clearly scared, and that only served to amuse me more.

"Well LEE." I spat. "What do you know about the Namek?"

"I'm not telling you anything you freaky Joan Rivers-slash-Fran Dresher wannabe drag queen!" The girl called Lee said back harshly.

What is a drag queen? Irrelevant. It must have been one of those slang insults humans use. On the other hand, I don't like it when people put me down. So I had only one response. In a flash, I had crossed the room and felt glorious satisfaction in watching her head snap back after I backhanded her once across the face. Lee let out a little yelp and tried to scoot away from me. Very entertaining, if you ask me.

Now…how did blind people see things? Ah yes, by touch. Well I wanted her to see the face of the person that was going to rule this universe for all eternity soon. "Pathetic human." I spat as I grabbed her weak hand and ran it over my face. "Take a good look at my face, little girl. Remember it well. It'll be the last thing you'll recall when you die!" I played a little mind-game with her by slipping one of her fingers into my mouth, then kissing it. The horrified expression her face took on was probably the funniest things I have ever seen. But humans aren't as stupid as they look. I let go of her hand and she kept it on my face for a moment until her fingers found my eyes. Her long fingernails jabbed into the corners of my eyes in a manner that was quite uncomfortable. It startled me and I stepped back. Lee got up and tried to escape, but that didn't work. One swing of my tail sent her to the ground. "Stupid move, girl! Try that again and you'll lose both of your hands!" Of course, I realized that my timing to speak had been bad. Lee was unconscious.

~Piccolo~
I can't forget it, and I don't ever want to either. Those nights with Lee were the most incredible things I ever experienced, and I've seen a lot. Mostly violent things though, not what I felt that night. I think I was actually happy. Yes, happy is a good word for it. After everything Lee and I have been through, the things we did…I don’t think I'd change any of it. Meeting her was an adventure in itself, but what happened recently was probably the most memorable thing I'll ever keep in my mind. I had fun. I had fun because of Lee. We went horseback riding, flying. Heck…we even made love together. It's pretty hard to explain how we accomplish it, so I'll just leave it to your imagination.

Fear. I've felt fear before. But it's more like the 'holy shit' kind of fear. Not the fear of dying or anything like that. Well, I got an overdose of that. Let me tell you something, it's the most sickening feeling there is. To feel helpless or alone. Where should I start talking? Well listen, and I'll start where I feel like starting.

The day was calm and I was minding my own business, just meditating when I felt a jolt of power. It felt like someone had thrown a rock against the inside of my skull and my ears started to ring. I figured it was just Gokou out training, so I ignored it. Lee was going to be around pretty soon anyway, so I just told myself to chill out. But you know me: I never relax. Heh.

"Focus!" I told myself and lowered my head again. "Focus, you can't meditate when you're tense."

It actually worked. I took a deep breath and allowed myself to relax. Meditation always passes the time quickly if I get lost in it enough. Something wasn't right. I felt that inkling the moment I lifted my head again, knowing over an hour had passed. Lee should have been here by now, and she wasn't.

I stood up and looked around, seeing if maybe I could spot her walking up. Sheesh, I was worried about her. But hey, I don't really mind it that much. I love her after all, and I guess that's all part of what it's like. I'm not used to this emotion after all. Sometimes it makes me downright sick. But other times, I really like it. I like having my heart pound like a wild animal in my chest when I see her walking up. I like getting a knot of excitement in my stomach when she takes my hand or gives me a hug. And I like the way the rest of the world just stops and disappears when she shows up. I like the tingle I feel when she kisses me. I like seeing her face when I close my eyes. Don't ask me how to explain more. There aren't words to even come close to describing how this emotion called love feels. Sometimes I wonder why I was so against the emotion in the first place. But I'm getting off the point.

Still no sign of Lee. Now I really wasn't liking this. She's NEVER this late. That means that the jolt of power that I felt before wasn't Gokou. If it wasn't Gokou, then who was it? Even today, I still wish I hadn't asked myself that question. As I was flying along, I spotted a ship. Not a little Saiyan space pod, but a huge ship. There were windows all around the edges of this strange round metal beast and many spider-like legs to hold it up. The instant I saw this ship, I flew for cover, because I knew just who this ship belonged to. That little twerp Freeza. And he had Lee.

"Son of a bitch." I muttered, peeking around the cliff and watching that freak Zarbon come out to get Lee's cane. It took every ounce of self control to keep from going over there, smashing his nose through his face and into the back of his skull. But I also knew that I couldn't take Freeza on alone. So I took off as fast as I could and headed for the Son house. Gokou's wife, Chichi, was watering the plants when I landed in the dirt.

"Hey! Don't step on the seedlings! Move!" She cried, and I got off the dirt real fast. Then she came to her senses and gulped. "Gomen nasai Piccolo."

I ignored her little blubbering routine and flipped my cape over my shoulder. "Where's Gokou?"

"He's out in the forest training. Why?" She asked, clutching the hose in her hand like she was going to use it as a whip.

"Trouble." Was the only reply I gave her as I reached my senses out to find Gokou. Unfortunately, he always keeps his power low, so the only way to find him is with my eyes. It's a pain, but right now I knew I was going to need his help.

It didn't take me too long to find him. A tree went crashing down and I watched the treetop fall out of sight. Well, off I went, following the falling tree and landing right as it hit the ground. Gokou was bent over and taking a breather, his wild hair falling into his face a little. Then he straightened again and flashed that usual air-headed grin. "Hiya Piccolo!"

"Konnichiwa." I muttered. "Gokou, I don't have time for crap. Freeza's here and…" I paused. Was I really ready to announce my feelings out loud to another person? Thankfully, the name Freeza seemed to have woken Gokou up. He frowned, then scratched his head in confusion.

"Freeza? But I thought I killed him on Namek…"

"Apparently not. That little prick can live anywhere, I guess. But we've got to get rid of him before he does anything to this planet!" I balled my hands into fists. "I know where his ship is."

"Then let's go. I'll just transform and destroy the ship. Easy as pie!"

I felt my heart leap into my throat. "NO!" I quieted my voice, "No. He has a prisoner."

"Who?"

"A human girl." I answered. "Her name's Lee. We have to get her out of there."

Gokou's expression turned serious as his tone of voice became darker and less care-free. He may be an airheaded moron at times, but when he gets serious…he gets serious. "Let's go. But first…let's ask one other person join us…"

~Lee~
I groaned as pain in my face warned me that I had come back to consciousness. I felt like I was on a nightmare Ferris wheel, the way I was dizzy(yeah, even blind people get dizzy!). For a few seconds, the world seemed to move slowly around me as if I had shoved my head underwater, but then everything came clearer. I realized immediately that I had been moved, because I'd passed out on my stomach and now I was on my back. A hand was playing in my hair.

"Wakie wakie." Came that ever-so-annoying Freeza's voice. Sometimes I wonder if his underwear are too tight and that's why his voice is so girlish. Who knows?

"Henjin," I muttered at him as I shoved his hand away from my head and tacked on for good measure, "You freaking pervert."

Freeza laughed a harsh, nerve-grating laugh. "Oh, first you call me a freak and now I'm a pervert? I think I should take those as compliments, my dear." What!? I've heard of people with smart mouths, but this guy must have sent his to college or something. He had a comeback for almost everything I said.

"Just shut up." I breathed as I rubbed the back of my head. At that moment, I heard the door hiss open somewhere off to my left. Now, I know it was probably a stupid move, but I had to try and escape. So I got up and dashed for the door, knowing where it was now that I'd heard it more then once. Unfortunately, I slammed right into a body, my hand grabbing onto a rope of some sort. No…too soft for a rope. It was hair that was twined in a loose but neatly-done braid.

"Where do you think you're going, little girl?" Asked Zarbon with his, pardon the term, unbearably nice-sounding voice. Too bad the tone was colder then ice.

"Get a haircut!" I spat back at him. Zarbon just laughed, hefted me under his arm like I was a football and carried me back over to Freeza. He dropped me against the wall once again, threw my cane in my face, then walked over to where Freeza must have been standing and started talking to him in hushed tones that I couldn't make out. I heard the word 'scouter' a couple of times. What the heck is a scouter? My answer seemed to come when I heard Freeza tap something. A strange beep followed by faint clicks punctuated the silence. I wanted to call them fags so bad, but knew that my mouth might get me killed, so I stayed quiet. The little discussion continued for a few minutes, and then Zarbon walked out again. I felt the wind as he passed, then heard the door shut. Apparently, Freeza stood where he was for a long time. I also discovered that he walked very quietly when he wanted to, because the next time he spoke, his voice was right next to me.

"So what do you have to say for yourself, girl?"

"Nothing that concerns YOU." I sneered, crossing my arms the way I've felt Piccolo doing countless times. Figuring I wasn't going anywhere for now, I asked, "So what the hell is a scouter?"

To my surprise, I heard a small click as Freeza adjusted something. Moments later, something was dropped in front of me, so I picked it up ad studied it. There was a bit of glass or plastic and a lot of metal that ended in a rounded-off rectangular shape. There were buttons on one side, and the flat side was all a speaker. When I pressed my hand against it, it stuck to it like a suction cup. "You attach it to your ear. Unfortunately, only sighted people can operate them." Freeza snickered at me. "But that's a scouter. It allows me to read power levels and talk to my men." As if to make his point, the scouter came to life in my hands as Zarbon came over the com system and said something. The volume was too low for me to understand it, but I heard him mention something of somebody flying around outside the ship. Freeza snatched the scouter, "Then get rid of him!"

Another mumbled reply.

"Grrr! Zarbon you FOOL!" Freeza's voice turned into a shriek. He has a funny way of pronouncing some words. 'Fool' sounded more like 'foo-elle'. Maybe English isn't his native language after all. Anyway, Freeza growled some more, then I heard retreating footsteps as he left the room. I listened hard for anybody else in the room, but I was totally alone. OK…if Freeza thought I was going to be a good little prisoner…he had something else coming. As soon as I was sure I was alone in the room, I got up and felt my way along the metal walls while tapping my cane in front of me until my fingers encountered the smooth, slightly concave surface of a computer screen of some sort. Moving my hand down, I found smooth metal buttons grouped together in eight's and tens, all in neat rows. Moving my hands inwards more, I found the staggered arrangement of keys that indicated a regular typing keyboard. Well, here goes nothing, I thought as I started pressing random keys along the edges. Apparently one of them was the right one, because I felt the slight static charge that always occurs when a computer monitor is turned on.

"Good afternoon." The too-nice-sounding computer voice said to me. Remind me to like the computer voice on Star Trek the next time I hear it. At least that voice doesn't sound all affectionate and gay. Thinking about the show Star Trek gave me a very crazy idea.

"Now if I could only work this thing…"

"Voice-command not recognized. Please try again." The computer replied. It seems that Freeza's too arrogant to get a better security system.

Thinking about Star Trek one more time, I faced the computer the best I could and said, "Is there a self-destruct mechanism on this craft?"

"Of course." Replied the annoying voice.

Well, as Scotty would say…"Then turn it on. Uh….thirty minutes? Silent countdown if possible…" I said, feeling my heart start to race as sweat broke out all over my palms. Freeza could come in any second now and see me. Then he'd probably tear me limb from limb, or worse. I also had to pray that no lights or anything went off somewhere else in the ship.

Surprisingly, the stupid computer actually listened to me. "Thirty minute countdown activated. Thirty minutes. There will be no further warnings. Have a nice day." The screen blipped off, leaving me in silence. I could here people running down the corridor outside the room and muffled yelling. Explosions sounded from somewhere inside the ship, and then I heard Freeza screaming at the top of his lungs in anguish. He was cussing up a storm, let me tell you. For someone so 'dignified', he sure had a bad mouth.

I moved away from the computer console, just in case Freeza came into the room. Feeling my way along the walls, I soon encountered a window. But this window bulged outwards and it was HUGE! I mean…I couldn't even find the top, and it bulged outwards so far that I could probably climb into the glass part and sit there. Then I turned and bumped face-first into something metal and round that didn't quite touch the ground. There were bulges on the sides and front, and the top was open. So I climbed onto the edge of the window and felt the rest of the top. Apparently there was a seat inside of it. Having nothing better to do now but wait, I climbed in and sat down. "OK…this is really boring." I said to myself, thinking of just getting out of there. And I realized a little too late that I was in some sort of hoverpod, and the hoverpod started to move. Of course, it ran into the closed hatch and stopped moving, leaving me stuck yet again. Or so I thought. There was more yelling outside the hatch, something about an intruder. I climbed out of the chair thing since it wasn't any use to me, and right after I did, the hatch opened. The chair was shoved aside and someone grabbed my arm.

"Hey!" I cried.

"Shut up! I'm here to get you out of here!" The male voice barked. He talked as if he was the king of the hill or something, and probably wasn't much taller then me or Freeza. Whoever this was ran with me to the middle of the room. "Cover your ears." He ordered me, so I did so. The man growled, and I felt a strange energy building near me as well as hear the man gritting his teeth. The man suddenly screamed, there was a discharge that sent blistering heat throughout the area, and the window I was exploring moments ago exploded! I could imagine all the glass shards flying outwards.

"Hey! Don't stay on this ship! It's going to blow!" I shouted at the man as he started to shove me towards the blown-out window.

"What?!" He stopped, probably looking at me in shock. Then he started to laugh, a rather annoying but unique-sounding laugh. A laugh that nobody could ever hope to imitate. "So not all humans are as pathetic as I thought!"

"Well it was set for thirty minutes….and I did it about ten minutes ago." I said, feeling my watch quickly. The hatch opened and I heard two steps of footsteps run in. Someone started shooting something, and my only hope now was to get out of there. The arrogant man didn't follow, and I started to wonder if he was insane when I heard more explosions. The man was still laughing as I ran for the window. Someone was faster, however, and I felt the back of my shirt being grabbed just as my fingertips brushed the edge of a broken shard of glass.

~Freeza~
It was impossible! There was no way that the girl could have contacted more of her freakish friends! There were alarms blaring in my ship, lights were going off and the computer console in my quarters had been accessed. How could a human be capable of that!? And to make it even worse, there was a monkey on my ship! A filthy Saiyan freak-show. Of course, my men were all being idiotic and I had to kill a few to get them straightened out. "Fan out and dispose of him!" I screamed at my men. There was an explosion at the end of the corridor, but it couldn't do anything to me. I stood there and let the fire pass, then levitated and flew down the corridor as fast as I could. Zarbon was below me, and running the other way. What the hell was he thinking!? "Zarbon you fool!" I added a few colorful metaphors in that sentence, "You're going the wrong way!"

"I'm trying to cut him off, Lord Freeza. It's Vegeta! You know full well that attacking him head on is a mistake!"

"You IDIOT! I killed that little Saiyan Freak Show myself once! Must I do everything!?" Right as I spoke, a massive explosion rocked the side of my ship. It came from the direction of my personal quarters, and that made me get even more pissed off. Flashbacks of Vegeta on my ship on Namek came back to mind. He'd blown the viewport out the last time an explosion like THAT had occurred. "Grrr! Not again!" I quickly changed directions and started flying towards my quarters with Zarbon close behind. The instant I got there, I already knew what Vegeta had done, and my guess was confirmed when I opened the door. The human was running for the broken window, and Vegeta stood there, arrogant as ever with that impossible hairstyle, waiting for me. I ignored him and went straight for the human, grabbing her shirt and using her body for a shield. Vegeta growled and started throwing ki blasts at Zarbon, not even saying a hello first. I tore the scouter off my head and opened my eyes wide as I shot my eye-lasers at Vegeta. Vegeta dodged left and fired off a shot at me, but I ducked in time and heard it explode against the back wall. Lee squirmed in my grasp, so I grabbed the back of her neck hard and grinned in delight when she cried out in pain.

"You should know better then to oppose Vegeta!" He snarled, rushing at Zarbon suddenly. I don't think I'll ever forget what I saw happen next. Vegeta ran straight at Zarbon and leapt into the air. Zarbon froze and his pupils seemed to become pinpoints as Vegeta's foot connected with his head with great force. Incredible force and power. I just stared in disbelief as Zarbon's head literally came off. I had to get out of there.

Hefting Lee under my arm, I turned and dashed out of my quarters. Lee swore at me and kicked at my legs, actually succeeding in making me trip once. Then her hand found my face and tore the scouter right off my head. "Stupid human!" I screamed, slapping her as hard as I could. Lee fell back against the wall and rubbed her cheek, which was bleeding because my long nails had sliced her skin. Sometimes, I wish I knew how humans, as weak and pathetic as they are, can be so smart.

"You're a freak!" Lee shouted back at me, her hand reaching for something behind her. I could hear Vegeta running down the corridor, and moments later, he appeared, smoke billowing around him from my quarters. The lights were flickering in my ship, and explosions started rocking my ship from outside as another figure joined Vegeta.

I gulped slightly. The golden hair! The brilliant cyan eyes! No! No! No! This couldn't be happening again. "No! Stupid Saiyan freak shows!" I screamed, forgetting about Lee.

Vegeta grinned and started to laugh at me as he looked to the other figure. "What took you so long, Kakarotto?"

"I had to teach Freeza's men a lesson." Replied the Super Saiyan. Of course! It was that freak the humans called Gokou! HE had been the one to beat me on Namek! It was definitely payback time.

"Prepare for battle!" I screamed. All of a sudden, right as I was going to jump, that stupid human Lee jumped onto my back and sprayed something in my face. Whatever it was, it stung like a son of a bitch and left my eyes all blurry. I couldn't see straight at all.

Laughing at me, Lee said, "I may be blind, but I'm not helpless without sight like YOU are!"

"Stupid little bitch!" I screamed, raising my power level to transform as my eyes started overflowing with tears from whatever she'd sprayed in them. Rage was boiling inside of me as I turned to face the two Saiyans. Vegeta was laughing, and Gokou just stood there, probably staring at me. I couldn't tell since my eyes were all blurry.

"You two guys! You have to get out of here! The ship is going to self-destruct in about ten minutes!" Lee screamed. WHAT!? HOW HAD SHE!?!?

"WHAT!?" I screamed. That was the last straw! My power level rocketed, shaking everything around me. Vegeta and Gokou started to power up as well, and I watched the brightness of my aura surround me. My eyes burned like Hell itself as I powered up, and the control panel smoked next to me before exploding and showering me with sparks that I hardly even felt. Then my vision cleared and I could see just enough to pick out the white cape and green skin of someone that had just joined the two Saiyans. "Well, well, well…"

"Enough of your games, Freeza. Let Lee go. NOW!" The Namek stated in his deep baritone voice.

"But that would ruin the fun! Give me the Dragon Balls and I might consider it!" I started laughing as I fired off a shot that scattered them. Then I turned and ran down the corridor, grabbed Lee again as I overcame her, and flew back into my quarters on the other side of the ship while my men gave the Saiyans a little party. It would take time for them to get to me. And I needed some time…to transform.

"Let me go you freaked-out drag queen!" Lee shouted at me, nearly tripping over Zarbon's headless corpse, which lay crumpled on the floor where it fell in a puddle of crimson blood.

"Would you just SHUT UP ALREADY!" I shouted back at her, concentrating on my power. Something was wrong. Something was very wrong. I couldn't transform. Why!? Why was this happening now!? From now on, I'll always curse the time I didn't take a rest after conquering six planets in twelve days. I had no energy left, and hadn't expected Lee to have so many of her damn friends. Especially not that stupid Super Saiyan! Lee was still squirming around, and I let go of her just as that annoying Namek flew in through the broken window.

"Lee!" The Namek shouted, and Lee ran towards him.

"Piccolo! Are you OK!?" She cried. I scratched my chin in thought as I watched them, the way the Namek looked at the girl was unmistakable. They were involved. Deeply. That caused my thoughts to drift very briefly to the wife I once had long ago. I was madly in love with her back then. She'd been killed during an expedition to the planet Vegeta, and I'll never forget how much pain that left me in. I snapped to the present and saw the Namek called Piccolo guiding Lee to the window, both ignoring me. That was a dumb thing for them to do. And upon this little turn in events, even as Vegeta and Gokou finally made it to my quarters, I started to laugh.

~Piccolo~
Vegeta's signal had just been given via the big explosion. Gokou took off and headed straight for the opposite side of the ship while I flew to the top. We had to make sure we got every one of his men, because just one of them running around on this planet could be bad news. They may be weaklings to us, but not to normal humans. Imagine one of them getting into a shopping mall and going on a killing spree. Not too pretty is it? Gokou was already inside and had found Freeza when I arrived. Him and Vegeta had the little twerp cornered, and I didn't like the way he was handling Lee either. I could only catch glimpses of Freeza when the control panel blew off sparks occasionally. Flashes of his pale face with those womanly black lips drawn into a contorted grin that flashed flawless teeth and mocking blood red eyes were all I could see. The lighting made him look very eerie, and his image was slightly blurred by smoke crawling around his small form. That changed, of course, when he allowed his aura to flare up. Then I could see his entire lizardlike body, tail, armor and all. I swear that from the neck up, Freeza looks like a woman. I wanted to laugh when Lee mentioned something about the self-destruct sequence. Freeza had made a big mistake with her, thinking she was helpless. At rare times, she can be, but when she's in her element, she can be a pain in the ass. And I guess computers are her element. When I told Freeza to let go of Lee, he laughed and took off right as the control panel he was next to exploded, barring my path. His men came down hard on Vegeta and Gokou, but I knew they'd be OK. My main concern was Lee.

A purple dinosaur-looking thing with yellow spots on its elongated head jumped at me, but I ducked under him and performed a short uppercut that knocked him aside. He got up and jumped at me again, but I hopped over him and brought my foot down on the back of his neck, snapping it instantly. Casting one glance back at the others, I rushed to the top of the ship and outside, circled around to the window that Vegeta had blown out. "Lee!" I cried, flying in and landing, ignoring Freeza for just a moment so I could embrace Lee as she ran towards me.

"Piccolo! Are you OK!?" She asked, her arms locked around my neck. She was trembling, frightened, but at least she was alive and well.

"I'm fine. Let's get you out of here." I said back to her, taking her hand and guiding her towards the window. Vegeta and Gokou were just arriving, and I heard Freeza starting to laugh. Goosebumps prickled up all over the back of my neck, and to this day, I'll always curse myself for not turning around to see what he was up to. Gokou was yelling at me right as I was moving to pick Lee up and carry her to the ground. I turned, just in time to feel a surge of power, and just in time to see a red beam of light exit Freeza's extended index finger.

The second that happened, everything became slow motion. The red beam of light passed through the air like a knife through butter. Next thing I knew, Lee's hand fell away from mine as she tumbled out of the window and dropped like a pile of rags to the ground. You know how it looks in those dumb old movies when they use stuffed clothes as props for people falling off buildings? Well that's what Lee looked like when she fell.

"LEE!!!!!" I screamed, ignoring Freeza's insane laughter and the battle that ensued between him, Gokou and Vegeta. Lee didn't move at all, and I practically dove to the ground, tearing off my cape and turban and throwing them aside. "Lee!? LEE!!!" I kept yelling her name as I fell to my knees beside her and took her into my arms. The beam had gone right through her head, a burn mark in her forehead marking where it had exited. I felt her breathe in once and exhale. Her eyes rolled back and drifted shut, and I felt my heart leap into my throat. "Lee? LEE!! Oh God no…"

Freeza's insane laughter continued as he battled with Gokou and Vegeta. "You two are pathetic losers!" He kept taunting them. But I didn't care right then. All I cared about was the fact that he had killed Lee.

"He'll pay for it, Lee….I promise…I'm going to make him pay…" I whispered against the side of her face, feeling a completely new sensation in my body. Tears formed in my eyes, rolled down my cheeks and pooled against her delicate little pink lips as I moved her away from the ship. I stroked her hair gently for another moment, then grabbed my cape and covered her with it. And when I stood up, my fists clenched as veins started popping out all over my body under my skin. I started to tingle as the power within me boiled along with the rage in my blood, and I could only see red when I glared back towards the ship where Freeza was fighting my two Saiyan friends. I felt my muscles increasing in size as my aura started to appear, electricity buzzing around me as much as it was Gokou, and my heart thundered in my chest. The aura I was putting off looked almost like the one Gokou probably did when he went Super Saiyan for the first time. Bright gold with white lightning. Freeza was going to pay! He was going to pay NOW! The ground trembled from my power as I took off and rocketed back into the ship, knocked both Gokou and Vegeta aside and locked my fist around Freeza's throat, slamming him into the back wall. He let out a guttural noise and kicked me away with ease, but I got right back up and attacked him while Vegeta cussed me out and Gokou tried to make him shut up.

"What's the matter Namek? Did I kill your girlfriend? Oh I'm so sorry!" Freeza mocked me. "Why the tears? I didn't think you cared?"

"Listen to me you little prick!" I growled through clenched teeth as I brought two fingers to my forehead, letting a spark ignite there as blue lightning surrounded me. The blood was throbbing behind my eyes as my heart pounded in my chest, and I ran my tongue over my teeth slowly like a hungry animal, feeling the power of the Mankankosappo building. "You took something from me that you had no right to take…and for that….YOU'RE GOING TO PAY!!!" I watched the horrified look on Freeza's face as he saw my aura build higher.

But he faked it. "Oh please! You think that little attack is going to hurt me?" He patted his chest. "Go on! Put it right there! Stupid green slug!" I saw what he was doing. His other hand went behind his back and he whipped it forward just as Gokou noticed it and kicked him in the ribs to knock him down. Vegeta stomped on his back once to keep him down. I knew the Mankankosappo was charged, but I was just too pissed to know when to stop. It kept charging, and charging, and charging.

"Get out of the way NOW!" I screamed at Gokou and Vegeta with a snarl, "He's MINE!!!!!"

"Humph!" Vegeta snorted as he got out of the way. "He's not even worth fighting anymore anyway. Killing him would be no fun." He was pretty beat up, half his face all covered in blood. Gokou's clothes were torn and his lip was bleeding pretty bad, but he didn't look too messed up.

Freeza started to get up and aimed that damned finger of his at me again. At that point, I didn't care anymore. I let everything go. The tears, the rage, everything. It was all flowing as I took my fingers away from my forehead and held them next to my face, gathering last-minute energy. "THIS ONE IS FOR LEE YOU SON OF A BITCH!!!" I brought my arm back, then pointed my fingers at him, feeling heat travel through my body to my arm. The golden fireball, surrounded by a spiraling red flame, exited my fingertips. It grew before shooting forward, and flickers of blue were swirling in the red swirling flame as the fast-moving Mankankosappo drilled a hole in the air itself as it flew straight at Freeza. It was three times bigger then the usual one I could throw. And Freeza had no hope to dodge it in time, not when he was exhausted from fighting and stuck in his first form. The red beam that Freeza fired got lost in my blast, and I watched as the swirling fireball slammed him into the wall. I listened to him scream in agony as it drilled through his body, and I stood over him as he sobbed in pain. Even Vegeta looked shocked at what I had done. Gokou had powered down and came to my side. I just stared at Freeza as he twitched, regurgitating blood. He was dying slowly in agony with nothing left between his chest and his waist.

"N-n…oooo….." He barely managed to whisper as I stepped forward and put my foot down on his throat, hardly feeling his hands as they grasped weakly at my foot. I watched his eyes start to glaze over as his black lips gaped in a silent scream of agony, and then I realized something. Lee had rigged the ship. That meant the final blow would be hers after all, and she deserved that last shot. So I took my foot away and backed away from Freeza, ignoring the gurgles he made as he tried to move. In fact, he was crying. There were tears on his pale face. For a very brief second, I actually think I felt sorry for him. He dug his own grave with his evil, and now he was gonna get buried.

"Let's go." I said heavily, suddenly feeling exhausted. "We're done here."

"Piccolo?" Gokou asked as Vegeta went over and spat in Freeza's face before taking off on his own. He's not too social. "Are you OK?" Gokou continued, then turned without awaiting my answer to look over at Freeza.

I glared at him. "No. Now move your ass before it's blown up by the ship!" I shoved him out and took off myself. He and I hovered a safe distance away from the ship and watched it explode in a red ball of fire, leaving a mushroom cloud in it's wake as the horrendous roar echoed across the valley. I just stayed long enough to watch the explosion. Then I floated down to where Lee was covered by my cape, not knowing how to feel. It's like I was numb all over, stuck in a nightmare or watching a movie. I mean, I almost expected Lee to just get up when I moved my cape off of her and put it on along with my turban. What made this whole situation worse was the fact that I hadn't seen or heard from Kami since after we got rid of Garlic and his freaky black water mist crap. And nobody had even found the Dragon Balls for over a year. I was trapped. Powerless. Alone. Gokou was talking to me, but I ignored him completely as I picked Lee up and carried her to Kami's lookout. Mr. Popo, the freaky looking jet-black genie, was watering the flowers when I landed with Lee in my arms. "Popo." I said without announcing my presence and with no emotion in my voice as I put Lee down at his feet. "If you ever find the Dragon Balls…"

Popo looked down at Lee with his large, round button-like eyes and his round mouth moved slowly as he said, "I understand, Piccolo."

Without saying anymore, I turned around to find Gokou behind me. "Are you sure you're OK?"

"I said I'm fine dammit! Just leave me alone!" I growled, shoving him aside as I stood on the edge of the Lookout and prepared to leave; prepared to return to the solitude I knew before.

"What's your problem, Piccolo!? Did you love her or something!? You're sure acting like it!" Gokou exploded.

Turning around as the wind played with my cape, I said in a very solemn voice, "I did." Admitting it to someone else seemed to just make the fact that Lee was gone even more real. Too real. My eyes misted over and I turned around so that Gokou wouldn't see my tears. I took off from where I was standing and soared down into the valley where I lived. Never in my life have I ever known something could hurt so bad. I'd never cried in my life. Not much really. But I did that night, as a storm raged across the desert, I stood on one of the cliffs with my head down, letting the rain pour down onto my body the way the tears were pouring from my eyes. When I formed a shiny object with the hidden talent that all Nameks possess, I wiped my face off and stared at it. Would I ever get to use it? The hope that I would be able to finally made the tears stop. I don't remember how or when, but somewhere during the storm, I flew to the bottom of the cliff, sat down against a rock and managed to fall asleep, even with the rain pouring down on me. The weather was hot, so I wasn't in danger of getting all sick like I did that one time. It was just before sunrise, because the sky was black, except for the horizon. The horizon! The blackness wasn't night! Immediately, almost laughing like an idiot, I took off and flew to Kami's Lookout, arriving just in time to see the Dragon Balls disperse. That bastard Kami was back! I had thought I was going to have to wait for months, and felt like one lucky green son of a gun as I landed and looked around. All I saw was Popo watering the flowers.

"Dammit Kami! Where are you!?" I asked, looking around as my heart leaped into my throat a few times.

"Right here." Kami answered from the entrance to his little house as he came outside, his wrinkled face emerging into the daylight. He had his hand curled around his brown wooden rod he always carries around, and I watched a smile spread across his face, "I believe I have someone that wants to see you." With that, Kami grinned and stepped aside to reveal Lee. She was alive again!

"Lee!" I shouted, the rest of the world just ceasing to exist around her when I saw her standing there.

"Piccolo!" She put her hands out and ran towards me.

I reached her in a few swift sprints, lifted her off the ground and twirled her, the vanilla scent of her hair surrounding us both as I levitated about ten feet straight up while twirling her. I couldn't hold back anything I felt then, even if I tried. And at that point...I didn't want to. She was in my arms again and that was all I cared about at that moment. And when we reached the ground again, I kissed her. I mean I really kissed her this time, and felt her arms tighten around my neck as she kissed me back. When we finally pulled back, a little breathless, I clutched her close as tears spilled out of my eyes. I don't know why I was crying when I was so happy, but at that point, I didn't care. There were tears on Lee's face too as she buried her face against my chest, and I still didn't notice Kami or Popo staring at me as I lowered my head and whispered into Lee's ear, "I'll never let you go…"

"Never…" Lee whispered back, lifting her head and smiling at me as her green eyes glimmered in the light. Their sparkle reminded me of something else, and I quickly reached to my belt to get out something shiny and gold.

I held onto her hand as I removed my turban and lowered down to one knee in front of her. "I'm getting down on one knee," I explained slowly as the shining gold ring caught the light, and Lee inhaled slowly. With gentle care, I held the ring against the ring finger on her left hand and looked up at her, my whole body shaking slightly as my heart pounded like a wild bird in my chest. I didn't know how I was going to ask this question, so I just let the words come out in whatever way they chose. "Lee? Will you stay with me forever? Will you marry me?"

Lee's eyes filled with tears as she brought her hand up to her mouth, unable to speak. The tears spilled down her cheeks as she nodded her head and finally managed to whisper, "Yes, I will…"

I grinned and slid the ring onto her finger, then stood up as she brought her face closer to mine and kissed me. I heard Popo say, "It's just like the movies," but I ignored him.

"Come, Mr. Popo. Let's leave them alone for awhile…" Kami commented from some far off place, at least to me, he was far off. Then he and Popo just left quietly.

I barely even noticed them, and just realized that tears were still flowing down my face. Lee brushed them away gently, her gentle touch like a piece of Heaven to me. I don't care what people think anymore. I love Lee. I love her and she loves me back, and I can hardly even remember my life before I knew her. My heart is open, if that's possible for a Namek, and she's the one I thank for that whenever I wake up in the morning. Even as I stood there with her in my arms, half my cape fluttering around her, I was thanking her.

There was a genuine smile on my face as I lifted her into my arms and started to fly towards the Earth once again, following the blazing orange of the setting sun. The sky was blazing with reds, golds, purples and pinks. As we flew, Lee kissed my cheek and whispered a few simple words into my ear. "I love you…"

I didn't even hesitate when I replied by saying, "I love you too."

I can't live without her, and I'm not afraid to admit it anymore either. Maybe someday when Lee and I are both old farts, we'll look back at this whole thing and laugh. But I know that when I look back, I won't regret any moment I had with Lee. And so I flew on, Lee tucked safely in my arms. Nothing was going to come between us ever again. I lost her once. I'm never going to lose her again, because now I know how much she truly means to me.

Thought it wouldn't matter
If we didn't stay together
And if it was over
Baby, it was for the better
I was thinking I'd be all right
'Til I thought it all through
Now I know that I ain't really living
If I have to live without you