A few days later...

...

Goku, Luna and Piccolo headed a good distance away from the Son house, getting ready to start their training for the day...

Gohan was busy with his studies for the moment, making the purple haired girl frown as she usually sparred with the younger Saiyan. It was one thing for Chi Chi to make Luna rest for a day or two when she got back, but making Gohan stay behind an extra day just to catch up on 'homework' was out of the question.

We're really going to need him in this battle... Luna thought seriously, stretching a bit as she watched Goku doing the same. The time when we'll have to fight is getting closer and closer...

"I'm excited to see what you learned while training with Vegeta..." Goku admitted, glancing at her happily as he wondered what the other Saiyan had been up to. "I'll bet he's gotten a lot stronger!"

"Yeah... He's been training at over four hundred times gravity..." Luna replied, still surprised about that fact herself as she shook her head, remembering the first time she had tried to keep up with him in the simulator at that level. "I could only stand three hundred... But maybe if I had more time to get used to it-"

"Wow! Four hundred times gravity!" Goku shouted, unable to contain himself as he grabbed onto her shoulders while his eyes shimmered with excitement. "I can't believe it... I can't wait until he and I get to fight one on one!" The Saiyan cheered, laughing to himself as Luna blinked back at him, not sure of what to say.

Typical Goku...

"You would be excited about a potential death match..." Piccolo growled, getting their attention as he frowned down at them, crossing his arms before speaking. "Enough small talk... We're wasting time talking when we could be training!" He finished seriously, obviously done waiting for both of them to get focused.

"Heh heh, yeah... Maybe we should worry about beating the androids first, right Goku?" Luna chuckled, smiling at the Saiyan as he agreed.

"Yeah, right!" He laughed, scratching the back of his head nervously as he looked at the irritated Namekian in front of him. "Why don't you two go first?" Goku suggested innocently, looking back and forth between Luna and Piccolo as he smiled. "I'll watch!"

"Really?! Okay!" The lavender haired girl cheered, excited to finally show off what she had learned while she was away.

Piccolo merely grunted in response. "Hmpf... Sounds to me like you're just slacking on training again because of your late night activities..."

Goku tripped, slipping on the grass comically as his cheeks turned a bit red before he glared in Piccolo's direction. "Y-you heard... I- I mean, ha hAHA....... I don't know what you're talking about!" Goku stammered, unaware that his friend had overheard what was going on in his and Chi Chi's bedroom the other night.

"What late night activities?" Luna questioned innocently, glancing at the Saiyan who seemed to be at a loss for words. "Have you been doing some extra training while I was gone Goku?"

Piccolo burst out laughing, glancing back and forth between Luna and an embarrassed looking Goku while listening to the Saiyan in amusement as he tried to think up an excuse. Alright, this isn't a waste of time... He thought, smirking at Luna as she tilted her head to the side, still waiting for an answer.

"U-uh, YES! B-but now you're back... S-so you can show me what you've learned!" The dark haired man said quickly, changing the subject as he jumped back, finding himself a nice seat in the shade. "Alright! I can tell this is going to be good!"

Piccolo's serious expression never changed as he stood there, watching Luna walk up to him casually as she grinned. "Ready?"

The Namekian growled, not giving her any warning before lunging forward, his eyes going wide for a second as she disappeared. He sensed something behind him, dodging just in time to see a flash of silver slip by him. He spun around quickly, trying to counter her attack as she blocked his leg with both arms, a teasing smirk on her face.

She's gotten so much faster! I-It's unreal... Piccolo thought, staring at her in shock as she dodged every one of his attacks.

"Rrgh... HAA!" He shouted, firing a massive beam of energy right at her as she vanished, reappearing behind him a second later as he swung his fist around, missing her yet again. He growled, sensing her a ways away as he turned around, spotting her standing on a large tree branch not too far away.

"Woooo! Go Luna!" Goku shouted, waving at her from his spot under the tree as Piccolo frowned, suppressing his urge to send a blast towards the idiotic fighter...

"I guess doing all that evasion training in the gravity room really helped, huh?" Luna said happily, smirking at her teacher as he was unable to lay a hand on her. "Though it was really more of me just trying to stay alive while Vegeta knocked me around..." She admitted, wondering what the Saiyan and Bulma were doing at the moment.

Piccolo smirked, looking down at the cocky expression on her face as he tossed his weighted training clothes to the side. If she really wants a test of her powers, then I'll give her one...

Luna watched with interest as the Namekian in front of her powered up, shouting as he split himself into three copies. If he catches me, I'm done... She realized, getting serious as she powered up a ball of ki in her hand, waiting for him to attack. I just won't let him catch me then... She smirked, watching as all three Piccolo's in front of her grinned evilly before taking off in different directions.

Luna looked around in confusion, her silver eyes going wide as she sensed something behind her. She spun to the side, seeing an arm sailing past her in slow motion as she grabbed the attacker's wrist, throwing him forward before firing the ball of energy she held in her other hand. Luna didn't waste a single second, jumping up just in time to avoid a kick aimed at her from the side, smirking to herself as she sensed the third Piccolo approaching from a few feet away.

How did I never learn to sense energy before this? She thought to herself with wonder, smirking as she turned around, seeing nothing.

"Where did he go?" Luna gasped, noticing the other two copies had disappeared as well.She flew a bit lower, peeking through the top of the tree line as she hovered above the forest, not sensing his energy anywhere as she looked around curiously.

"How did he... Aagh!" Luna screamed as she was suddenly tackled from behind, two arms locking around her waist as both her and Piccolo crashed into the field below. "No fair! You hid your energy somehow!" The purple haired woman argued, laughing as she turned around before frowning slightly at the man behind her.

"How did you do that anyway?"

"I'll teach you sometime..." Piccolo smirked, chuckling deeply at her confused expression before helping her to her feet. "But I think we can both agree that I won."

"By cheating!" Luna challenged, floating up to his height as she crossed her arms, powering down while staring at him eye to eye.

"I think you're just scared of the student finally surpassing the master..." She taunted, about to head back to where Goku was before gasping in surprise. Piccolo grabbed the front of her armored vest, yanking her a couple inches away from his face as he looked at her wide green eyes seriously.

"My goal is to teach you everything I can... So when that day finally does come, I won't be scared....... I'll be happy. You're already a very skilled fighter Luna..." Piccolo finished lowly, clearing his throat as he fought the warmth gathering at the top of his cheeks. "Anyway, it won't matter if someone is 'cheating' in a real battle..." He reminded her, letting her go as he watched her smile fade a bit.

"When the androids arrive we'll be fighting for our lives and the lives of everyone on this planet... There won't be any rules....... Or mercy."

Luna nodded, seeing the intense look in his eyes as she fought against her emotions, clenching her fists together as she was determined to do her best in this battle.

"Come on..." Luna said suddenly, surprising the Namekian as she floated up above the trees, eager to get back to their training. "I want a rematch before you and Goku spar! Then I can work on my healing..." She reasoned, knowing she couldn't afford to slack off in either area.

"Hmpf... You sure about that?" Piccolo chuckled, following her into the air as he looked at her with one brow raised, noticing she looked rather determined. It seems like she's finally taking this seriously... He realized, the corners of his mouth turning up a bit as he looked at her proudly. We're lucky to have her on our side...

She sent one of her genuine smiles his way, looking rather innocent until she opened her mouth and started to speak.

"This time you're going to be the one dodging Piccolo..." Luna said playfully, blushing a bit as her eyes flashed silver again. The Namekian in front of her powered up, feeling her power level skyrocketing as both of them stared the other down for a moment before disappearing. They were both moving so fast that only they could see where the other fighter was as they clashed above the remote area of the forest.

It went on this way for a while, both fighters giving it their all as they continued prepared for the arrival of an unknown evil...

...

A few months later...

...

Luna was happy. She spent her days training with the people who had quickly become her family, all of them living together harmoniously despite what a different bunch of people they were. Luna helped Chi Chi with her housework, which took a huge amount of stress off the overloaded woman's shoulders, both of them growing very close to one another in the process. Chi Chi had honestly become like a second mother to the girl, teaching her lots of skills that she otherwise would have never known...

"Hey Chi Chi... What's this word?" Luna asked, getting the older woman's attention as she leaned across the table to look at the page where she was pointing.

"Serene."

"Oh... Serene..." Luna answered, repeating it to herself while thinking about it for a moment before continuing on with her story.

For the past few weeks, Chi Chi and Gohan had been teaching Luna how read, saying it was important she learn now that she was a resident of their home planet. Luna picked it up rather quickly, enjoying the books Gohan had picked out for her to read as she progressed through each lesson. Even though they were stories intended to amuse children, Luna was still happy to learn... They were both even showing Piccolo a few words here and there, even though he didn't seem as interested as she was. Eventually, she had moved on from the children's books, finally coming across something that had truly spoke to her when she first read it... Poetry.

Gohan had given her a collection of poetry one day and from then on, that was all she wanted to read. She carried the large book around with her almost everywhere, choosing to use every free moment she had to try and memorize the words inside of it.

She must have read that whole book a hundred times by now... Chi Chi thought with a sigh, smiling as she watched the young girl's eyes scanning the dusty pages excitedly, focusing on her knitting once more as she realized she was close to being done.

"So, Luna..." The dark haired woman said suddenly, pausing to refill her cup of tea as she added more to Luna's as well. "What will you do once the androids are gone?"

The Acaiian stopped reading, glancing up at Chi Chi as she thought about it. In all honesty, she didn't know what to say. "I... I don't know..." She admitted, a little embarrassed that she hadn't planned that far ahead yet. "I guess I haven't really thought about it much..." She mumbled, taking a few sips of her tea.

Chi Chi stayed focused on her knitting, trying to keep things positive as she went on. "Well, what do you want to do?" She asked, raising her eye brows as she made a suggestion quickly before the other girl had time to answer. "You know, you don't have to be a fighter... You could start a family."

Luna nearly choked, coughing violently as she set her cup back on the table. "I- I don't know about that Chi Chi..."

"Why not?!" The other woman argued, her eyes going wide as she realized how loud she was being. It was late and both her son and her husband were fast asleep... Chi Chi looked at Luna with tired eyes, wondering why she couldn't have had a daughter who just wanted to do normal girl things like get married and have babies.

"Why do all of you just want to throw your lives away training nonstop?" The dark haired woman whined dramatically, frowning at Luna who seemed to be avoiding her gaze. "It's bad enough that my husband is pushing that kind of lifestyle on Gohan..." She grumbled, going back to her knitting for a few moments before she heard Luna sigh.

"I just want to live a peaceful life..." Luna said softly, staring out the window as she gazed at the stars dotting the night sky. "That's it... Whatever comes after that is icing on the cake, so to speak..." She grinned, remembering when she had learned that expression from Bulma. "Besides, I think Gohan is more interested in his studies than you think... I can tell it's something that's really important to him, not just something that he has to do..." Luna explained, looking back at Chi Chi as her tone became more serious.

"But saving the world has to come first... Otherwise, what's the point?" Luna finished bluntly, blinking a few times as she shut her book before yawning. "We can't let those androids hurt any innocent people..."

Chi Chi just shook her head, knowing the girl was right. "I know, I know... I just worry so much Luna, you have no idea..." The older woman admitted, becoming very serious as her voice cracked a bit. "Gohan... Goku....... That's my whole family out there... Fighting some monsters... And I can't do anything to help them..." She went on, continuing to knit as Luna watched her with wide eyes, wondering where this conversation was going. Chi Chi made the last few adjustments to the sweater, admiring it for a moment before putting her tools and her finished project on the table with a sigh.

"I'm glad you're here Luna." She said simply, looking up at the girl across from her as she smiled at her genuinely. "I know this battle is going to be dangerous for all of you, but I'm glad you're going to be there with them... Keeping them all safe..."

Luna nodded, smiling back at her as they both knew she would do anything to keep all of them out of harm's way. With the battle against the androids swiftly approaching, they had been doing a lot of planning while training, all of them agreeing that it would be best for her to stay out of the fight until she was needed. Of course at first, Luna had been against the idea until Goku pointed out that she was their only healer. With her there, she was as good as any senzu bean... And they couldn't afford to take any chances against these new enemies...

"Mmmm... Chi Chi...?" Goku mumbled, rubbing his eyes before stumbling into the kitchen. "Is it time for breakfast yet?"

"No, Goku... It's late..." Chi Chi mumbled, looking at her husband in shock as she realized he was only in his boxers. "Go back to bed!" She said quickly, jumping up from her seat as she tried to push him back towards their room, noticing Luna blushing furiously while trying to avoid eye contact with the man. Goku, who was still obviously half asleep, yawned, stretching a bit before wrapping his arms around his wife. He picked her up, blinking at her sleepily a few times before smiling and hugging her close.

"You're coming with me..." He mumbled before turning around, walking away as Luna giggled at how cute she thought they were.

"Goku!" Chi Chi whispered, not wanting to wake their son up as her husband ignored her, squeezing her a bit tighter as she sighed. "Goodnight Luna! That's for you!" Chi Chi said softly, giggling as both her and Goku disappeared into their bedroom, the door closing quickly behind them.

Luna chuckled under her breath, putting their tea cups in the sink before returning to the table to see what Chi Chi had made her. She picked up the light pink sweater, holding it up before staring at her name spelled out across it in silver lettering as she smiled.

Chi Chi...

Luna yawned again, turning off the kitchen light before walking into their living room, grabbing the blanket she used every night before tossing it onto the couch as she got ready for bed. She pulled off her dress, folding it up before placing it on a nearby table as she slipped the baggy sweater on over her tank top and shorts.

It's so comfortable... Luna thought with a sigh, enjoying the feel of the material against her skin as she hugged herself once before using a hair tie Chi Chi had given her to fasten all her hair to one side for the night. She grabbed her blanket, plopping down on the couch in exhaustion as smiled to herself, pretending that the piece of fabric in her hands was a certain someone's cape...

Ever since the night Piccolo had let her borrow his while she was napping, she couldn't forget how warm and comfortable it had been to sleep in.

I wonder where he is right now... Luna thought, grinning as the tiniest shade of pink crept across her cheeks. She shook her head, snuggling with her blanket as she closed her eyes, drifting away into dreamland. Little did she know, Piccolo was meditating not too far away, finally able to relax himself as he felt her ki even out as she fell fast asleep.