The room was totally dark, save for the one eerie red light. The scent of chemicals filled the air. Pieces of glossy paper were hung on a string like clothes hung on a clothesline. Classical music, Fur Elise, was playing in the background. A dark figure moved throughout the room, hanging up various of those pieces of glossy paper while settling the others into the chemicals with a pair of large tweezers.

The last piece of paper that had been hung up started to fade in and show the image of an adult Namek sitting cross-legged with a younger one mimicking the position while in his lap. The little one had his head turned and was grinning, and the bigger one was grinning back. Another one showed the big one with his hand on the little one's forehead as the little one slept. There were also a few of the old, wrinkled Namek with the little one as well, and the figure at work developing the images found those just as sweet.

"Whew. Now all they have to do is dry." Yasmine said to herself, "Either he'll love it or hate it…" She took a peek at a few of the pictures as they dried, smiling slightly and pleased that she was doing so well for a beginner photographer. Each image was a little glimpse of a tender moment between Piccolo and Tategoto. Moments when Piccolo was out of that shell he always had around his heart.

Too bad he darts back in when I come around… She thought, twirling a lock of her long ebony hair between her fingers.

"Heeyah!" Piccolo gracefully flipped to his feet after completing his set of push-ups, letting his cape settle around him as he watched Tategoto finishing up his own set.

Tategoto was moving like a piston, much faster compared to the trembling struggle he had to put up when he first started training. It left Piccolo amazed at what only a few months of training had done for his son, and he was very proud of the boy as well.

The little Namek finished his training and tried to flip to his feet like his father had just done, but didn't have as much success. He landed on his rear end with his cape over his head, and the effect was so funny that Piccolo bit his lip to keep from openly laughing as he reached over and pulled the cape aside. Tategoto got up, rubbing his behind and laughing. He shrugged up at Piccolo as if to say 'I tried. Maybe next time.'

Do you feel ready for me to teach you some fighting moves? Piccolo signed, his expression and posture turning serious once again. Tategoto looked up and a sparkle passed his eye as he nodded, excited to learn something new. Nodding back, Piccolo uncrossed his arms and took on a fighting stance. "Watch." He whispered quietly as he raised his hand to his face and pointed between his eyes to make sure Tategoto would watch his every move. When Tategoto's full attention was on him, he quickly started to demonstrate his graceful fighting moves. It was like he was dancing, every liquid-steel muscle rippling with the ease of water, his cape only adding to that appearance. When he finished the brief display, he turned to Tategoto and signed, Now, try some of those on your own.

Tategoto nodded, straightened his turban out and took a deep breath. He assumed the same stance Piccolo had shown, looking to him for approval before continuing. Piccolo watched with pride in his eyes as his child grunted and threw his first punches at the open air. They were clumsy, but with training, they would be a force to fear.

"Yes…soon we'll be able to spar…" The Namekian man said quietly, biting his lip to hide a smile.

The photographs were all developed, and Yasmine smiled to herself as she slowly plucked them from the string they were hanging on. She carried them out to her living room where a photo album was laying open on the soft couch, shook her sable hair out of her face and sat down, dropping the small pile of photos on the floor by her foot.

"Now…" Yasmine said to herself, "Time to make some memories." Grasping the photograph by the edge to avoid getting fingerprints on its glossy surface, she carefully opened the photo album to the first page and slid the picture under the protective plastic. It was a sweet side-view image of Piccolo staring straight ahead at something outside the photo. Tategoto was next to him, his head turned slightly so his whole face was visible in the shot and a smile was just barely visible on his lips. So cute, those two…

Many months passed, and Piccolo's daily routine with Tategoto had changed drastically from just a warm-up jog, push-ups and sit-ups. Now, on top of all of those, they sparred, and some weight was added to the child's clothing. Instead of two pounds, his shoulderpads weighed about eight pounds and his turban weighed at least three.

Of course, sparring Tategoto was also difficult for Piccolo to do. Usually he would start the spar with a word. Since talking to the boy wouldn't work in this case, Piccolo would just get into his fighting stance and Tategoto would always copy him. Being the little fireball that he was, Tategoto was always ready to start a spar, and it didn't take him long to be able to mirror his father's moves. In fact, he got to be so good at sparring that he and Piccolo often tired each other out.

As if to add to his changing abilities, Tategoto's young body was starting to change as well. His pudgy child-like baby fat was almost completely replaced with hard rippling muscles, and he could run for hours next to Piccolo without missing a beat. Plus, he was growing a bit too, and stood about waist high next to his father.

"Hah!" Piccolo slid low along the ground, kicking up dust as he moved in an attempt to sweep Tategoto's legs out from under him. Tategoto countered by leaping gracefully over the outstretched leg and side-kicking at the kneecap while it was still in motion. The long, strong leg just kept going as if nothing had happened, and Tategoto found himself on his back.

"Oy." The young Namek breathed, not realizing that he was making noises. He kicked his legs and flipped immediately to his feet when Piccolo came at him with his searing eye lasers. Tategoto then used his size as an advantage and dove between his father's legs, wrapped his arms around them and stood up, effectively tripping him. Not before a fist planted itself in his back, however, and he let out a shriek of pain, having been caught off-guard.

You must keep your eye on your enemy. Piccolo signed after he signaled for the spar to stop, being only slightly winded. Until you learn to sense ki, you must watch your enemy's every move.

Hard to do when the enemy goes behind you. Tategoto signed back, wiping the sweat off his brow ridges.

I know. You are what many people would call different. The taller Namekian hated to tell this to his child, but he knew that the young boy would figure it out sooner or later. He rubbed the purple bruise on his chin that he got when Tategoto got a pretty good uppercut in before being knocked away. The spot was pretty sore and slightly swollen, but would be fine in a day.

How am I different? The little Namek asked, his brow ridges drawing together and his black eyes glimmering with curiosity.

You can't hear. It is impossible to explain sound… Piccolo's signing seemed to trail off as he sighed, needing to find a way to explain this Tategoto. Never, He tapped the boy's shoulder to get his attention when it started to stray. Never think of yourself as less of a person. If anybody ever says you are, show them they're wrong.

Tategoto grinned and nodded his head, flipping his small cape over his shoulder and puffing out his chest the way his father did. Piccolo grinned for a moment in spite of himself, crossing his arms as he looked down at what looked like his miniature twin in every way. Then his ears perked as he heard the sound of a hover-car being turned off, and his eyes darted around briefly as he looked around, then caught sight of a tall, willowy figure approaching. When he saw the figure, he relaxed and momentarily stared at her as she approached with long, graceful steps. Black braids swung gently behind her and her brown skin shone easily in the bright sun.

"Hey Piccolo!" Yasmine called when she was close enough, waving with one hand since she had a brightly wrapped gift in the other. Hello, she signed to the younger Namekian with a grin.

Tategoto waved, grunting happily when he saw the present. Who's that for?

Both of you. Yasmine signed back, coming to a stop next to Piccolo. "Both of you." She said aloud, looking over at the older Namekian with a smile. "Especially you Piccolo."

Piccolo just blinked, a bit shocked since nobody had ever given him a gift before. Deep inside, he was touched, but he would never admit it. His onyx eyes studied the gift, then the expression on Yasmine's face as he extended his large hand to receive it. "Why a gift?"

"Just because." She wiped the beads of sweat off her forehead and let her hand continue back over the top of her head for a moment, "Open it. Tategoto sure looks like he wants to see what it is." She glanced down at Tategoto, giggling when he started to bounce impatiently with the same excitement any child gets when they're going to get something new.

Frowning, Piccolo sighed in annoyance and used one pass of his pointed fingernail to rip a clean line in the paper. Then he tore it off and tossed it aside to find himself looking at a plain brown box. Twisting his lips to the side briefly, he flipped the lid off and let it fall to the ground and discovered a leather-bound black book. "What the…? What's this?"

"I'll show you." Yasmine lifted the thick book out of the box and nodded towards a tree, then headed over and sat down. Tategoto was practically running her down in his excitement to see what was inside the book.

Is it more butterflies? He asked, laughing.

No, silly. She laughed, shaking her head as Piccolo sat down on her other side and lifted the book from her hands. Yasmine reached over and opened the book, exposing the first four photographs she had taken.

Piccolo's eyes widened and his mind literally came to a halt when he saw the images of himself and Tategoto. It was as if someone had torn the memories from his mind and put them there in that book, and each time he turned the page, there were more images of gentle moments. It did, however, give him mixed feelings. Anger was one of them, because he knew that he'd been spied on. Happiness, knowing that the images were frozen there for good, un-changeable and permanent. He was also confused as to why Yasmine would go out of her way to do this, and found himself at a loss for words. That funny feeling that he still wasn't sure what to name seemed to rise above them all. That strange urge to cry that never really brought tears.

That's me! Tategoto grinned, pointing at himself in the pictures. There's my father! He giggled in delight as Piccolo put the book down and walked over by the waterfall to be by himself for a moment.

That's right. Yasmine signed, grinning. Keep looking at the pictures. I'm going to go see how your father is.

Nodding, Tategoto then signed, Give him a hug.

She winked, then stood up and walked to where Piccolo was standing. Piccolo's face was stoic, his eyes directed towards the waterfall. The wind was ruffling his cape gently, causing it to brush Yasmine's legs slightly. Since her hair was braided, the wind didn't do much to it. Tategoto just kept giggling to himself in the background.

Heaving a sigh, Piccolo asked in a tone so low that it was nearly a whisper, "Why were you spying on me and my son?"

"I wasn't spying, I was watching." She paused, choosing her words carefully as she stepped closer to where he was standing, "I wanted to catch those moments and make them permanent, Piccolo. To remind you that you are capable of loving someone."

Piccolo didn't know what to think anymore, and slowly closed his eyes as he lowered his head. He wanted to say thanks, but the word never left his throat. Instead, he asked in a semi-cold tone, "What do I owe you then?"

Yasmine blushed and glanced over at Tategoto, smiled, then looked back at Piccolo. "A hug."

The answer made Piccolo nearly choke on his own spit, he coughed once and looked at Yasmine like 'you've gotta be kidding!'. "A hug!?" His brow ridges drew together as he frowned and the urge to take off and leave came to him in quite a rush.

"You gave one to Tategoto once. It's the same thing, only I'm bigger." She giggled and stepped closer, until they were just about face to face, looking at each other eye to eye. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see Tategoto glance up and smile. "My feelings for you haven't changed, Piccolo. I don't think they ever will."

In a vain attempt to sound angry, Piccolo clenched his fist and asked, "Why DO you feel like that!? Why do you insist on trying to love someone that doesn't know how - " He stopped, " - that can't love you back?!" As soon as the words left his mouth, the Namekian cursed himself mentally for letting that slip, and closed his eyes in something much like shame. As if to cover his blunder, he gritted his teeth and said quickly in a low hiss, "I have no physical need for the emotion, so why have it?"

Yasmine reached over and took his fist between her two hands and said, "We all need to feel it at some time in our lives. When it happens, it just happens. There's no controlling it." She took his hand and brushed it against her cheek, watching his expression change to anger and then confusion. "What are you so afraid of?"

"I'm not 'afraid' of anything." Piccolo retorted, taking a small step back when Yasmine stepped closer.

"Shhh, it's OK." She whispered, reaching her hand up towards his face and brushing her fingertips across his lower lip. That stopped Piccolo in his tracks, and she felt warm air brush across her fingertips as he sighed. For a split second, he almost looked like he was going to cry, but the expression hardened again, the turmoil within him clearly visible. "I'm not going to hurt you. Ever." Yasmine moved closer, slipping her arms around his neck and holding him close.

Piccolo's mind was a vortex of emotion, as it always became when he was near Yasmine, and resolved his expression to a simple frown as he felt her arms encircle his neck. The caress was what froze him in place; the same caress that started evoking the swirl of emotion in the first place, the emotion that he finally had a name for. The Namekian kept his arms at his sides and looked over Yasmine's shoulder to see Tategoto, who was looking at him hopefully.

Hug her like you did me. The child signed simply.

Piccolo grimaced for a moment, his arms becoming two logs hanging from his shoulders, his fists two hard knobs of wood. He saw Tategoto sign the same sentence again. Knowing full well that he would do anything for his son, no matter what, Piccolo slowly closed his eyes and sighed against Yasmine's shoulder. He could feel her heartbeat the same way he had felt Tategoto's. That throbbing feeling of life, so close. He wanted it closer. So slowly, Piccolo moved his arms forward and wrapped loosely around Yasmine's waist, pulling her closer so that her heartbeat was right next to his. For another moment in time, the churning storm in his heart was calm.

The moment she felt Piccolo's arms around her waist, Yasmine closed her eyes and smiled, hugging him tighter, able to feel his heartbeat with hers. Piccolo seemed to tense and relax at the same time, the wind ruffling his cape slightly. She moved one hand up to the back of his head and buried her face against his neck, but he didn't make any moves in response. That didn't matter; he was hugging her back. That was all that mattered.

Finally, after what seemed like a long eternity, Piccolo allowed his arms to slide away from Yasmine and come to rest at his sides. Yasmine took this signal, understanding that he wanted her to let go, so she did. But not before turning her head and touching her lips to the warm skin on his cheek. Surprised, Piccolo turned his head to look at her, and she smiled as she turned towards where she'd parked her car and started to walk away without a word. Everything she needed to say was said with that quick, simple kiss.

After she was out of sight, Tategoto got up and tugged on his father's cape. When Piccolo looked down, the young Namek signed, I love her.

I know you do. Piccolo signed back.

Tategoto looked up at him with that innocent smile of his that made his eyes sparkle beautifully and signed, Do you love her? No answer came for a long time as Piccolo stared at the waterfall where he and Yasmine had just hugged. It's time to face it…I can't run from my emotions forever. Turning to the boy, the tall Namekian man slowly signed a single word.

To be continued…