She woke early and rose, taking a shower before heading to the beach. She sat on the sand and looked out over the sea, musing on her lost past and the rather frightening future before her.

She couldn't remember who she was no matter how she tried, and was scared of the unknown future. She tilted her head down and lifted a handful of sand, letting it slide through her fingers. She watched the soft white grains fall, her vision adjusted to see each of them fall one by one. She felt like this some days. Solid looking, but ready to fly apart in the slightest breeze. She sighed, and frowned, feeling all too human.

Human. Something she had not been for a while. She didn't even know how long it had been since she'd lost her humanity, it could have been years or months for all anyone knew. She sighed again and let her mind drift to the man who slept inside. He probably knew she was outside alone, but he felt so undeserving of her, he'd never bother her.

She knew that he wasn't the most handsome man ever, and even his friends thought her liking him was strange. But, there was something in his eyes that made her feel so… warm, so cared for. He had looked at her like that, even when they were deadly enemies, and she'd felt this strange warmth for the first time. Though she was far stronger than he, she'd felt oddly safe, as if she could trust him to protect her from anything that might threaten her. It was strange but wonderful, actually.

Now she'd sought him out, and he'd accepted her into his life without hesitation. She was more grateful than he'd ever know for his kindness to her. She looked up and blinked quickly, hiding the single tear that had tried to rise in her eyes. Tears weren't something she could allow, not yet. The horror and the deaths were still too fresh. The disagreement with her brother was still too fresh.

He was all she'd had for as long as she could remember. Now he hid himself from her, resentful of her change of heart for the people they'd been told were their enemies. She knew he was wrong to be angry with them any longer, knew they should never have hated them at all. But he was unable to reconcile his anger, heal himself as she was trying to do. She couldn't figure out a way to help him; she could only hope he'd come to her soon.

The sun was coming over the horizon, reminding her of the first day she'd come here, in search of her little man. She'd flown about, searching for his Chi for weeks, and then when she'd almost lost hope, there he was, sitting on this same beach, looking lonely. She'd dropped down behind him, sure that he couldn't sense her, but to her surprise, he'd jumped up and turned, ready to fight…

"Juuhachi-gou! What do you want?" Kurilin's eyes were wide with shock as he slowly dropped his fists. She stood there quietly suddenly feeling shy. She looked down at him and wondered that herself. She'd just searched for him, not thinking of what to say when she finally did.

"I was looking for you." She said. He waited as she fell silent again, and then frowned slightly.

"Looking for me? Why?" He asked. She shrugged. Kurilin stared at her, noting her beauty again, her short blonde hair and cat-like blue eyes. She had been looking for him! Did she like him as Bulma had claimed, or did she want to kill him? He had too little self-esteem to believe she liked him, so began to feel nervous about the possibility of her trying to kill him. She tilted her head to the side and stepped closer. He stood his ground, but felt his heart race.

"I have nowhere to go. I was hoping you might help me. May I stay here for a while?" She said. Kurilin's eyes bugged out comically. He stood straighter and nodded. He couldn't really believe it. She wanted to stay here, with Muten Roshi and himself. Why? She looked about, noting the tiny house and the pure white sand of the beach. Roshi emerged then, and gaped at the unexpected visitor.

"Well, well, it's that cyborg girl. She gonna kill us Kurilin?" She felt herself wince, and saw Kurilin frown. He turned to his Sensei.

"No, of course not! She's not evil anymore, remember? Come, Juuhachi-gou, let me show you your room." As usual in the face of unfairness, Kurilins courage and kindness came out. He walked past Roshi, the reluctant Juuhachi-gou behind him, and led her upstairs. There were only two bedrooms, but he told her he would sleep downstairs on the futon. She looked at him, face remote and thanked him. She really felt the urge to tell him not to do that, but stay in this room with her, and almost blushed at the thought.

"Um, do you have anything else to wear?" He asked, suddenly bashful. She looked down at her clothes, which were a little worn. To his eye they were also unstylish. She shook her head.

"Well, come on, and I'll take you to get some stuff. You can't wear that for the rest of your life." He said nervously. To both their surprise, Juuhachi smiled and covered her mouth with her hand. She chuckled at his face; he looked like he was staring down the barrel of a loaded gun.

"Thank you, but I have no money." She said quietly, still smiling that tiny, yet significant smile. Kurilin laughed and put his hand on the back of his head; just like that idiot Goku had done, she thought.

"Not to worry! It's my treat. I mean, I know you don't have any Zenii, and I do from all the tournaments I've fought in, so… " He stumbled over his words, blushing. She thought it was cute how he wanted to do this for her, even though she scared him. She nodded and agreed to his wishes, and he blinked in surprise. He told her he was going to change into other clothes, and he'd be right down.

She had no real idea of how to look for clothes that she was going to buy; her taste ran to similar lines as what she wore already. She was surprised that he seemed to know what she'd look good in, and how much was too much to spend on the things she needed. They found tops and skirts, shorts and jeans, shoes and a few hats easily enough, but soon he lugged her back to the car.

"Um, there's more that you need, but I can't really help you there, so I'm gonna ask Bulma to help instead." He said, blushing.

She was wearing a blue sundress and sandals now, her hair pulled up into two ponytails high on her head. She looked very different from the killer she'd been just a few weeks ago. She knew what she needed, since she wasn't wearing any right now. She had no lingerie at all, just the garments she'd been wearing, which didn't go well under her dress. She was just being careful until she got to Capsule Corp., since the right breeze would lift her skirt and reveal her secret. She was tempted to let it happen, if only to see his head get red again.

When they landed, Vegeta swaggered out of his gravity training room, and stopped dead in his tracks at the sight of the unlikely pair. He glared at her, and began to power up. She raised an eyebrow and watched him with a cool expression. She was still stronger than he, but she knew she wouldn't be much longer. Still, she didn't want to fight him here in her new dress (And she still had no panties on either!). Kurilin stepped up to the angry Prince and waved his hands in Vegeta's face.

"Yo! Stop that! She's not here to hurt anyone! We're here to see Bulma, do you know where she is?" Vegeta snarled at the little monk.

"You aren't bringing that thing near my mate, got that?" Suddenly they heard Bulma's voice calling to her mate.

"Hey, Vegeta, what's up? Hi Kurilin, and who's this… Juuhachi-gou!" She gasped and stared, eyes wide with worry.

"I think they don't want us here so lets just go ok? I don't want to cause a problem… " She said softly, but Kurilin was steaming mad now.

"No, we aren't leaving, not yet. Look you guys, Juu has changed. She's not evil, and she won't hurt anybody. So stop being like this! She wants to make some friends, so I brought her here. If you kick her out, you kick me out!" Both Bulma and Vegeta stared at him wide eyed now. Bulma recovered first.

"I'm sorry Kurilin! I wasn't thinking straight, of course you're right, she's not evil anymore. And of course I won't kick you out… And neither will you, Monkey-man!" She snapped at Vegeta who was puffing up again. Juu was watching them, feeling that warmth again as Kurilin stood up to his friends for her. She came up behind him and rested one hand on his shoulder. It was a telling gesture to Bulma; Juu could see the other woman nod slightly and smile.

"Thank you for your faith in me. I really am not interested in hurting anyone, " She said. Then she smiled slightly and eyed Bulma. "We were shopping, but Kurilin is scared to help me find lingerie!" Bulma laughed, while Kurilin and Vegeta both blushed bright red at the thought of shopping for women's underthings in public.

"Ha ha! That's funny! I take it he wants me to take you for these things? Sure, I love to shop." She said, and despite Vegeta's feral growl, took Juu's slender hand in her own, lugging the cyborg into the house so she could get her purse. After they had gone inside, Vegeta grabbed Kurilins shirt and pulled him close to his face. Juu heard them, and paused in the kitchen to listen, just in case Vegeta tried to hurt Kurilin after all.

"What the Hell is wrong with you? You can't trust that thing! It's programmed to kill us all, you moron!" The Saiyan snarled. Juu winced at his words, not caring that Bulma was watching her curiously. Vegeta's words hurt her, though he had every right to be wary of her. She'd broken his arm and nearly killed him after all.

Kurilin was scared for just a second, and then felt his own temper flare up at the way Vegeta talked about her like that.

"You won't speak of Juu as a thing, Vegeta. She's a woman, a woman who's been robbed of her past and her humanity. Bulma reprogrammed her, remember? She CAN'T hurt us anymore. So, if you'll put me down, I need to give Juu some money for her trip." He stared at Vegeta with false calm, waiting for either a blow up or for the Prince to put him down. Vegeta stared back at him, and slowly did release him.

"You are a fool, little man."

"Look who's talking." Kurilin shot back, and went inside. Juu pretended not to have heard, and Bulma ignored her act, smiling in a knowing way at them…

After that, Juu felt a selfless devotion to her small protector, but she couldn't get him to make a move, or bring him closer to her. She wanted more than the room he'd given her, the clothes he'd kindly provided. She wanted to show him how much she liked him, but he acted like he was dense or something, not getting her signals. She could sense his attraction to her, could feel his eyes on her, but still he wouldn't do anything about it.

"Hmmm, Maron. Could it be her? I wonder." She stood and patted the sand from her skin, then wandered inside. She went to the futon and knelt by him, smiling at the short soft hair that was growing out now. Jet black and silky fine, who'd have thought? He'd shaved it for years as he'd been taught by his first sensei (It prevented his hair from being grabbed in battle), yet when she expressed interest in seeing his hair, he'd stopped shaving it just like that. She reached out and brushed the short strands with her fingers, that little smile she wore just for him on her lips…

Kurilin was dreaming of his ex girlfriend Maron, and she was being her silly self. She was pretty, sure. But not like his new roommate. Juu's blonde hair was thicker and more beautiful, her eyes more alluring. Maron had been obsessed with her weight, while Juu didn't seem to care at all. She ate mostly because it worried him when she didn't.

The dream Maron suddenly smiled Juu's tiny smile at him and caressed his head, playing with his new hair. He sighed, but when he opened his eyes, Maron really was Juu. He blinked sleepily and smiled at her, while she rested her hand on his cheek.

"It's her isn't it? She is the reason you're scared of me, not what I am or have been." Juu whispered. She sighed heavily, and he swore he saw tears in her eyes for just a second. He sat up, forgetting that he wore nothing the night before, since it was almost too hot to sleep lately.

"Juu-chan, what are you talking about… Women have never liked me; it's a known fact. That you even put up with my presence is… " She leaned forward and stopped him with a kiss. He froze and just let her kiss him, eyes squeezed shut in disbelief. She pulled back and felt worried at his face; had she hurt him?

Kurilin held his breath, because he'd forgotten how to breathe, but when he turned bluish, he suddenly gasped and opened his eyes. He stared at her, eyes puzzled.

"Why? Why me? I just can't imagine it; you could have any man in the world, yet… yet you seem to want me. Why?" She looked away, and brushed her hair out of her eyes, trying to find a way to explain it herself.

"Well, you aren't my enemy, first of all. I mean, you had the chance to kill me, but chose not to. You were kind to me despite my arrogance; you were so kind… I understand you even took care of that idiot Vegeta when he'd caused us all to be in even more danger than ever before when Cell appeared. You were so different. I couldn't understand it.

"Then, as time passed, you were what was best in men to me. No one could compare to you. I love your face, though I know you aren't the most handsome man I could find. But, you are perfect to me, and you are all I want." She bit her lip and turned back to him, eyes troubled. He could see the terrible insecurity she'd felt and hidden for these weeks here on the island.

"But, you don't seem to want me! Why? Is it what I am? Is it my strength? Or do you still love HER so much?" She squeezed his hands in hers with a grip that should have hurt, but he felt nothing but guilt for the fear she'd felt because of him.

"I didn't understand, and I was… I was scared. I thought 'This gorgeous woman wants me?' No way! I thought I was fooling myself into hoping that it was true. And then you stayed here, and when you watched me, I didn't dare to believe it was because of liking me. I'm sorry if I made you insecure, really, Juu-chan. But, I mean, look at me…" she shook her head and put a hand over his mouth.

"I told you. I don't care about your looks, or that you're shorter than I am. I don't really know why I feel this way, but I do." She looked deep into his eyes and he felt a strange warmth go through him, a warmth that for once, wasn't embarrassment. He smiled and pulled her close to kiss her this time. It was a far more intimate kiss, and it certainly made then both warm.

"Well helloooooooo! Nice day for it but let me get a camera first!" Kame-sen'nin said happily. Juu broke off and glared at him with more emotion than she'd expressed yet while on the island. The old master scurried away in terror, while Kurilin blushed and sighed in frustration.

'Roshi never gets up this early unless he's training! Drat!' He thought to himself.

"Kurilin, get up, I want to show you something." She said, her special smile flashing as she darted upstairs. He almost swung out of bed before he remembered that he was naked, and meeped as he covered up and reached for his clothes.

Later, they dropped down at the edge of a forest, where Juroku-gou(#16) had protested the wanton destruction the twins had been engaging in. He'd been emphatic about not hurting or killing anyone or anything except for Goku. Now that she was feeling this warmth in Kurilins presence, she could understand his point. She walked slowly through the tall grass at the edge of the trees, and let her fingertips brush the seeds hanging heavy for the harvest.

"This is great! How did you find it?" Kurilin asked as he followed her. As great as the area was, she was even better; she was lovely in a new sundress and her hair free. She turned and clasped her arms behind her.

"Juroku-gou showed me that life is not to be taken lightly here. He didn't even really want to hurt Goku, I think, but he'd been programmed to do it, and had no choice. He was angry with Juunana and myself for just destroying things and killing people for no good reason. It didn't mean much until later on, when he sacrificed himself for the whole world." She stared at him intently.

"And you… you saved me out of the goodness inside your heart. You could have killed Juunana, and me yet you didn't. I couldn't understand it then, but I'm beginning to see now. I hope it means I'm regaining something of what was taken from me." She said seriously. Kurilin came closer and nodded.

"I think you never lost it, you just forgot. And I'm glad if I can help you find it again, Juu." She suddenly leapt and tackled him, rolling with him into the grass. He didn't raise a hand to defend himself, but wrapped his arms around her, telling her silently that he believed in her, and in himself. They lay in the sun, not moving, but just feeling happy.

Three months later, Kurilin sat out under the stars and pondered his relationship with Juu. He enjoyed her presence on the island, and they had been training together, which he enjoyed more than he'd have thought. She didn't hold back on him too much either, so he often went to bed tired and sore.

But he had been thinking lately that he didn't want her to leave, and knew of only one way to make sure she stayed with him. She hadn't shown any signs of wanting to go, but his insecurity made him paranoid. Now he had found the courage to make this big step.

There were many things to worry about too in making this decision, but it really all came down to the fact that he loved her. And he wanted her to know it, no more doubts. He looked at a particularly bright star and smiled. Goku would agree with his decision, he was sure. He could almost see his old friend smile for him.

Decision made, he went inside to tell her what he wanted to do, and see if she would agree to do it…

"Woman, come here!" Bulma heard Vegeta yell. She sighed and wiped her greasy fingers on a cloth as she followed the bellow into the front hall. Vegeta was peering at a heavy linen envelope with scrolling handwriting on it.

"This looks like the symbols of your name… sort of. What's the deal?" He said, tossing it to her. She caught it and saw that it was addressed to both of them, only as "Vegeta and Bulma Briefs". She smirked as she opened it, then felt her jaw drop. The contents of the envelope swam before her eyes as her vision went black.

"Well, what is… um, Bulma?" Vegeta said as she slid to the floor. He bent over her, eyes wide, wondering what was wrong with her now…

"Kaasan? Look, it's from Kurilin! It's so pretty, who wrote your name on it?" Gohan called as he brought their envelope to his mother. Chi-Chi took one look at the envelope and felt her jaw drop. She knew what the content of the envelope should be, but couldn't understand whom it was from. She sat at the kitchen table as Gohan peered at it curiously.

"What is it? Why does it have girly writing on it?" Chi-Chi shook her head as she opened it… And began to laugh hysterically. Gohan watched her wide eyed, but she couldn't seem to stop…

"Hey, Tien? Look, it's an invitation from Kurilin. He's getting married!" Ranchi called sweetly. There was a flash of wind, and Chauzu was there with Tien behind him. Both looked at her in shock.

"Married? To who?" Chauzu asked as he look at the fancy envelope Ranchi was waving happily.

"I don't know, her name is unfamiliar… How odd, Juuhachi-gou? Artificial Human Eighteen? Who's that?" She looked up as she heard the thud of two jaws hitting the floor.

"Juu-Juu-Juuhachi-gou? Kurilin is MARRYING HER?" Tien and Chauzu said in unison…

"Are you sure you want to get married this way? I don't mind a small wedding, if you're… "

"Juu-chan, are you nervous?" Kurilin teased, trying to hide his own nervousness. She shrugged and nodded.

"Yes. I'm worried that your friends will disown you!" She said with some heat. He wagged a finger at her.

"Then let them. I wont call anyone who won't be there my friend anymore. You are a part of me. If they care about me, they will forgive you for your past. I mean, it wasn't even your fault!" He said firmly. He came over and took her hands in his. Her fingers, always cool were like ice. He tugged on her, and she sat with him on the sand.

"Really Juu. I love you, and want everyone to know it. Now, I have to tell you something." He turned red and coughed nervously. She looked at him curiously, forgetting her nerves in his odd behavior. He laughed in the way she'd come to know meant he was REALLY uncomfortable, and couldn't find a way to start (or stop) a conversation. She reached out and pinched his arm hard.

"Oww! What the… ?" Kurilin yelped.

"Just spit it out, that's always best." She advised. He grumbled and rubbed his arm and then squared his shoulders.

"I invited Maron." He said. Her cat-like eyes widened in shock.

"HER? Why her, I never want to even see her!" Juu said, as close to angry with him as she'd been. Kurilin blushed bright red and hung his head.

"I just want… I wanted her to see that I am not some desperate idiot. You know, she only went out with me 'cus I have lots of Zenii, and I want her to see my beautiful wife, who doesn't care about my money but about me, and see how wrong she was to treat me so bad. I want you to see her and know that I love only you… " He stopped, and Juu frowned deeply.

"I need to think about this." She said tightly and took off. Kurilin watched her and wondered if she'd be back. He knew Juu was still insecure about his ex, but this was really important to him. He needed to show Maron that she wasn't the only pretty girl a guy like him could find. He sighed and wished he was a tall gorgeous guy, but he wasn't. Still he'd gotten the best, most beautiful girl. Wasn't it ok to want to show her off to those who had scorned him?

Juu stood outside Capsule Corp, watching the huge domes warily. She could sense Vegeta in the back, but was still nervous trying to talk to Bulma. Finally she went to the door and rang the doorbell.

"Juuhachi! Hello, come in!" Bulma said as she opened the door. Juu stared at the other woman for a moment.

"You don't mind that I'm here? I don't want to be a bother… "

"Silly! I meant what I said to Kurilin, I'm not kicking out my friends." Bulma said pertly, and led Juu to the kitchen, where she poured a couple mugs of coffee. They sat quietly for a moment, until Bulma prodded the reluctant cyborg into speaking. Juu explained Kurilins invitation to Maron, but Bulma cut her off.

"Of course he did, he needs to show her up, and say "You blew it!" to her. You are ten times the woman she is, and he deserves a good woman after all these years alone. I'm still shocked about this by the way; it is so sudden. You guys sure you really want to do this so soon?" Bulma said. Juu sat and digested all the information she'd just heard. She smiled slightly, which was rather broadly for her.

"You are saying it's a good thing he invited her?" She said, sipping her coffee slowly. Bulma smiled slyly.

"Why Juuhachi-gou, are you actually jealous of silly Maron? I find it hard to believe you would feel threatened by her, she's not even as pretty as you are. Hey, did you find a dress yet?" This made Juu laugh, a deep throaty laugh that was full of joy.

"No, want to help me find one?" She said, eyes wide with fake innocence. Bulma whooped and leapt up, pulling Juu with her, despite her protests that she was joking…

They were gathered at the Son house, which was small, but provided a beautiful background for the ceremony. Chi-Chi was in a tizzy of last minute preparations, while Bulma waited with Juu in the bedroom. Juu had no other female friends to ask to be in the party, so she'd asked Bulma, Chi-Chi and Bulma's mother to stand up with her, while Kurilin had Gohan, Yamcha and of all people Vegeta standing with him. It was more surprising that Vegeta had agreed to do it, than that Kurilin was marrying at all!

There were people from all over; members of Orrin Temple where Kurilin had first trained as a Shaolin monk, and old competitors from past Tenka'ichi Budokai's. Namu was there as an honor to the boy Kurilin had been, the one who made it so far in his first Budokai. Old Bactirian was there, seated far to the side by himself due to his bad smell. He didn't seem to mind, he was used to it since it was a necessary side effect to his "Stink-fu" discipline.

There were even a few Nameks from Neo-Nameku-sei, and of course Dende and Mr. Popo were there. Ranchi was there with Tenshinhan and Chauzu in tow. By the looks of it, Tien was happy with Ranchi's continued attachment to him.

The one person no one could find was Juunana-gou. Juu was very sad that he wouldn't be there, but hoped he'd be happy for her when he found out.

The Minister was very alarmed by the strange and (In Vegeta's case) hostile crowd of well-wishers. He'd been hitting Chi-Chi's plum wine pretty hard, until she caught him. Now she and Mrs. Briefs were pouring coffee down his throat, hoping to sober him up.

"Um, are you ok?"

"I'm fine! Leave me alone! I'm just nervous!"

"Ok, ok. But you don't look good. Want some water?"

"I'm fine. It's just a wedding."

"Bulma, Juu is right, you look pale. You sure you're ok?" Mrs. Briefs said from the doorway. Bulma was pacing nervously, while Juu sat placidly in a pool of silver satin. Her dress was beautiful but not traditional. It was off the shoulder with a tight bodice and belled out into a full skirt that hung to the floor. There was a sort of cape hanging from the back of her dress, and she wore silver ribbons in her hair, which was longer now, almost to her elbows. She wore the minimum of make-up, just a little to add color to her face, and blue eyeliner to make her eyes bigger.

She looked at her bouquet, made of white and silver-dyed flowers, the center of which was a huge white dahlia. She then peered out the window, looking for the now mythical Maron. She knew Maron looked something like Bulma, only not as pretty. No one out there looked like that though.

"Juu! Hey, its almost time!" Bulma snapped. Juu turned and looked up at the pair of women, so different yet with enough resemblance to look like cousins. Mrs. Briefs didn't look old enough to be Bulma's mother at all. Then Chi-Chi came in, begging for help in zipping her dress.

The three bridesmaids wore black dresses that almost matched Juu's, with black ribbons in their hair. They all looked beautiful, though Bulma had to admit that Juu's feline beauty made her stand out. The stood and helped each other with last minute adjustments and heard the music start. It was Pachabel's Cannon, the cue to sit and get ready. They made the way to the front door and Bulma peeked out.

"Man, look at all those people! Who'd have thought Kurilin had so many friends?"

"Ah, isn't that that bitch who called me a Grandma?" Chi-Chi hissed, peeking from over Bulma's shoulder. Bulma shushed her, and nodded franticly at Juu. Chi-Chi smiled and waved her hands, chuckling.

"Oops, my mistake! That's not her!" Juu raised an eyebrow at them and they blushed then got into position. The wedding march started.

First Gohan came and took Chi-Chi's hand, looking like a little man in his tux, then Yamcha, looking very manly in his tux, took Mrs. Briefs, and finally Vegeta humphed and took Bulma's hand. She winked at him, and he blushed as they walked down to the minister. He was quite the sight, dressed in a tuxedo.

"That hair is odd though, looks strange. Oh well, time to go." Juu had opted to walk alone, since she had no older male to give her away. However as she stepped out, there was a collective gasp, and the martial artists dropped into attack stances. She blinked and then saw why they were so excited.

"Sister. May I?" Came her brother's voice. Juu looked to her left and saw him, dressed like the others in a black tuxedo, his long hair pulled back into a ponytail. He held out his arm, a tiny smile on his face. She stared at him, and slowly rested her hand on his arm. As she turned to walk the aisle, she saw Kurilin looking VERY pleased with himself. She smiled a real, broad smile at him, and the other men all gaped at her.

"She's so beautiful, Kurilin! You're so lucky, man!" Yamcha whispered.

"Yeah, she's even prettier than Bulma!" Gohan said, and adroitly avoided a smack from Vegeta.

"She's alright, I'll give you that." Vegeta grumped. That meant a lot coming form the Prince, and Kurilin knew it. In the back of the crowd Piccolo stood, with Kami's smile on his face. It hadn't been easy to find Juunana-gou, but with lots of perseverance, the Namek had done it. Piccolo had had to do it, since Kami and Nail pestered him in his mind until he gave in. Juunana stood in the aisle behind the wedding party, and refused to move. No one wanted to even try to move him either, he was bad news.

He watched the whole thing, looking for any sign that Juuhachi-gou was not doing this freely, but saw nothing wrong with her at all. On the contrary, she was more animated, happier than he could ever remember her being. He looked to his right and saw Vegeta glare at him, but nodded respectfully rather than acknowledge the challenge. He then looked to his left and saw Bulma and Chi-Chi watching him too, but with very different expressions. They looked happy, and even proud, as if they'd been the one's to find him, not the Namek.

"Women… " he muttered.

"Does anyone have a reason why these two shouldn't be joined in marriage?" The minister was still slurring slightly despite the coffee. He hardly waited for a response and went on into the vows.

"Do you Kurilin, take this woman, Juuhachi to be your wife?" He said.

"I do." Kurilin squeaked.

"Do you Juuhachi take this man Kurilin to be your husband?"

"I do." She breathed in a sexy voice. The minister and Kurilin turned bright red as the tone of her voice, and everyone laughed. The minister cleared his throat and found his place once more.

"Then, I now pronounce you man and wife. You may now kiss the bride." Juu had to bend down to his level, but they didn't care. She looked at him with wide eyes as he stood on tiptoe, and they kissed with such sweetness that every female in the crowd began to sniff and dab at their eyes. Yamcha sighed sadly, reminded that he was single. Vegeta hunched his shoulders and snuck a peek at Bulma, finding her eyes on him already. She smiled a tiny smile, and was rewarded with his smile in return.

The reception was in full swing. Juunana-gou was sitting with Kame-sen'nin, and watched his sister as she and Kurilin greeted everyone, thanking them for coming and such. He saw the pair stiffen as a woman with light blue hair and a too tight dress came up to them. He got up and pushed his way to them, concerned by Juu's face as she confronted the strange woman…

"Kurilin! I didn't really believe it, you getting married! Wow! And you, I am surprised, I mean, everyone knows Kurilin and I were supposed to get married! Now you ruined it for us!" Maron said in a scolding voice as she turned to Juu. Kurilin gaped at her in shock. Maron had never seemed very committed to him, and now she claimed to be engaged to him! She was trying to cause trouble, obviously.

Juu however was now very secure with her place in Kurilins heart. She didn't smile as she reached out with her hand to the irked Maron. "I'm glad you could make it here, and share our special day, Maron." Her hand cranked down on the hapless Maron's, and Maron began to squeal in pain.

"Oww! Oww oww oww! Let GO, you beast!" She cried. Juu immediately did so, and leaned close to Marons stunned face.

"I just wanted to thank you for dumping Kurilin. I'd have hated to have to convince you to leave him, since I wanted him the minute I saw him." She said softly, without any anger. She saw Juunana behind Maron, smirking like in the old days. He nodded to Kurilin as he shoved the sullen and pouting Maron out of the way. The three of them ignored the curious crowd as he held out his hand.

"I couldn't really believe it, but Juuhachi does love you, I guess." Juunana said quietly as Kurilin shook his hand without flinching. They nodded while Juu watched them.

"I knew she wanted you here, and also figured you'd want to see it, or you might not believe it! " Kurilin said. Juunana smiled and turned to Maron, who was lingering about, clutching her hurt hand.

"Come, I'll get you some wine and have Mrs. Son look at that for you… " He purred. Juu narrowed her eyes at him, not sure if he really liked her or was trying to help avoid another situation. Whichever, Maron melted under his feline gaze, noting his gorgeous face and long dark hair.

"Wow, you're so nice! Sure, my hand hurts TERRIBLY! I'd like some wine too!" she said loudly. People looked at her, and noticed her handsome companion, which had been her aim. They strolled away while the bride and groom sighed and looked at each other as Juunana led her away.

"Thanks for not killing her."

"Nah, she should live, and see what a mistake she made in leaving you" She said calmly. They smiled and turned back to greeting more guests.

The next day, Kurilin turned to his wife and wondered at how life sent one such unpredictable things. When he'd first seen her, Juuhachi was one of the most terrifying things he'd ever dealt with. Now he couldn't imagine life without her. He wondered how Goku had felt about Chi-Chi that first morning, and decided Goku was probably just as clueless then as the day before. Goku wasn't meant for love and marriage, but fighting and training.

What about Bulma and Vegeta? Well, they weren't married yet, but still… they were a mystery to most people, never knowingly showing any affection to each other, yet they had stayed together and had little Trunks as well. He'd never thought Bulma could stand a man who didn't worship her, like Yamcha had when they first met. Yet Vegeta couldn't be less of a worshipful man; how had they gotten together anyway?

And Tien had Ranchi/Kushami… or did they have him? Regardless, that was more of them chasing and claiming their man, and Tien seemed to endure their presence out of a respect for their femininity, as much as affection for them. How strange, having one woman who was two women!

Well, he felt that he'd gotten the best woman for himself. He watched her as she lay beside him, still as death. She'd wake soon, and they would occupy themselves with something or other. But for now, he could watch her and thank his lucky stars…

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