Late at night, West City had finally fallen asleep.
Moonlight streamed through the floor-to-ceiling windows of the guest room on the villa's second floor, bathing the large bed in a pale silver glow.
Lazuli lay beneath the covers, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.
A soft silk comforter covered her, and the faint scent of lavender lingered in the air.
It should have been the perfect place to rest.
Yet her heart refused to slow.
Now that she had become human again, every one of her senses had become astonishingly vivid.
She could feel the sheets brushing against her skin.
She could hear the wind rustling through the trees outside.
And most of all...
She could sense a familiar presence standing beyond the door.
Even with a human body, the Infinite Energy Reactor within her allowed her to perceive energy better than almost anyone.
She knew someone was there.
His ki was warm, powerful, and overwhelming, like a blazing sun burning in the darkness.
"That idiot..."
Lazuli buried her face in the pillow and bit her lip.
She knew exactly who it was.
Launch's teasing words from earlier still echoed in her mind.
"His stamina is unbelievable..."
Just then...
There was no knock.
No sound of the door opening.
The space beside the bed rippled ever so slightly.
In an instant, a figure appeared out of thin air.
Instant Transmission.
Krillin had somehow turned one of the greatest techniques in the universe into the perfect way to sneak into a room unnoticed.
Lazuli's body stiffened.
She hurriedly shut her eyes and pretended to be asleep, though the trembling of her eyelashes gave her away.
"You can stop pretending," Krillin said with a chuckle.
"Your breathing changed."
Her eyes flew open.
"What are you doing here?!"
She clutched the blanket tightly around herself.
"You jerk! Get out! I'll call someone!"
"Go ahead."
Krillin grinned shamelessly.
"This whole villa belongs to me. You can shout all you want."
"And if Bulma and the others wake up, they'll probably grab some chairs and watch."
Lazuli opened her mouth to argue.
Then she remembered exactly what kind of people they were.
...He actually wasn't wrong.
Krillin's playful expression gradually softened.
"I really did come for something important."
"The system restored you to a human body, but the Infinite Energy Reactor is still something extraordinary."
"I wanted to make sure your body has adapted properly."
She blinked.
"Adapted...?"
"There could be issues with how your energy flows, or whether your muscles can handle the output."
He extended a hand.
"Give me your hand."
After a moment's hesitation, Lazuli slowly reached out.
Krillin gently took her wrist.
His hand was warm.
The comforting heat spread through her arm.
"Relax."
"I just need to check your energy flow."
He carefully guided a thread of ki through her body, examining the pathways created by the fusion of her human physiology and the Infinite Energy Reactor.
Every so often, he paused, concentrating.
"The flow here feels a little uneven."
He adjusted the current with practiced precision.
A gentle warmth spread through Lazuli's body.
She couldn't help letting out a quiet sigh.
The uncomfortable tension she'd been carrying since her transformation gradually faded away.
"Much better," Krillin said.
"The integration is surprisingly stable."
"The reactor has become a natural part of your body."
"It isn't rejecting your humanity."
Lazuli looked down at her hand.
"So... I'm really human now."
"You are."
Krillin smiled.
"And your future belongs to you."
Silence settled over the room.
The moonlight reflected in Lazuli's blue eyes.
After a long pause, she finally looked at him.
"What do you really want from me?"
Krillin met her gaze without hesitation.
"I want you to stop carrying your past alone."
"In your future, you survived as a weapon."
"But here..."
"You're Lazuli."
"You have a home."
"And people who care about you."
Those simple words shattered the final wall around her heart.
Loneliness.
That was what had followed her all those years.
Even with Android 17 beside her, the emptiness had never disappeared.
This man had defeated her.
Taken her in.
Given her back her humanity.
And then offered her something she had almost forgotten existed.
A place to belong.
"...Idiot."
Her eyes grew misty.
"If you ever betray that promise..."
"I'll make you regret it."
Her voice was still as proud and stubborn as ever.
But this time...
There was no hostility left in it.
Krillin smiled.
"I won't."
For the first time since regaining her humanity, Lazuli allowed herself to believe him.
Outside, the moon quietly watched over the peaceful villa as the night carried on.
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