I know, I know! It took a hot minute to get this going but I had RL priorities! Without further ado, the PxM UR sidefic! WOOOOO!

Piccolo floated a little higher into the branches when he spied Makoto walking out of the bakery only twenty minutes after she'd arrived. It wasn't even dawn yet, and he knew she wouldn't open for almost an hour… so why was she—Oh shit! He mentally yelped, shaking a few branches as he jumped in surprise at the sight of her carrying something… and stopping beneath his tree.

"You know, it really is cute the way you avoid me, green bean. You could just come in the shop and relax where it's not so cold; after all, I wouldn't mind having some company." Mako sighed as she set a plate and a mug down on the pavement in front of the tree, hoping that her usual flirting really hadn't scared him off; sure, she thought he was gorgeous, but she hadn't meant to terrify the man… er… whatever he was. "Well, I brought you breakfast. I guess I'll go now."

Piccolo felt a twinge of guilt at the sadness in her voice but still breathed a sigh of relief when she retreated out of sight into the kitchen behind the counter. He landed with ease as he leapt out of the tree to the sidewalk and picked up the plate to find it full of fruit-filled pastries, and the mug brimming with Mako's coffee. He didn't need to eat, but he sure as hell wasn't turning down her cooking after tasting the cheesecake from the other day.

Floating back up to his perch, he took a taste of the food. "Mmm…" He moaned softly at the first bite and practically fell out of the tree, bobbling his coffee carefully on one leg. "Damn if this woman isn't a domestic goddess."

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Mako smiled at the sight of a clean plate and an empty mug at the foot of the tree when she opened the bakery for the day, and looked up into the tree to find two dark eyes peering down at her… before they disappeared with a little rustle of leaves. "Chicken," she teased. "You could probably kick my ass three ways from Sunday and you're seriously hiding from me?" A full minute passed with no response and she sighed dejectedly. "Alright, I get it. You're not much of a talker." She kicked a little pebble as she looked down at her shoes and finally turned away. "If you get lonely, don't forget that you're very welcome to come inside, Piccolo."

Piccolo didn't come inside, but he did find himself distracted badly from his job on quite a few occasions whenever she'd stretch, lifting her breasts up enticingly, or when she'd remove her apron to reveal the tight pair of jeans beneath it. "Damn it, you're not up here to gawk at some human woman," he griped at himself.

But he couldn't stop his eyes from following her every movement, and when she'd occasionally have a break, he'd catch her looking right at where he was, trying to catch a glimpse of him. She finally got one when she brought out lunch and laid it at the foot of the tree with barely a glance upwards, quickly moving back to the kitchen to pull something from the oven. But she looked back for a moment to see him hanging upside-down from a branch to snag the plate and the mug, his cape billowing around him.

Their eyes met in that moment and she grinned at him, trying to stifle a laugh when his face turned bright purple. The laugh escaped though when he crashed to the ground clumsily, tangled up in his cape. "Are you ok?" She giggled after rushing out of the store to check on him. "I didn't mean to startle you, green bean, I swear it!"

Piccolo quickly scrambled to his feet, moving faster than he ever had in his life, scooped up the food and darted right back into the tree. "Piccolo, are you hurt?" She inquired once more, looking up into the branches in exasperation. "I see a little blood on the concrete, did you get scraped up?"

No answer.

"Alright, you know what…?" She snorted, turning back to her bakery. She came back several minutes later, locked the door behind her as she toed off her socks and shoes, and as Piccolo watched in surprise she used a low branch of the tree to swing herself up. "I can climb a hell of a lot better than you think, green bean. So spare us both the time—" Mako easily began to climb up towards him. "—and just stay put."

Piccolo considered changing trees, but he had a feeling that she would actually try to jump from one tree to the other, so he stayed put. After all, he didn't want her to get hurt. "It's just a scrape," he managed hoarsely. "I'm fine."

Makoto rolled her eyes as she hefted herself up a little higher and sat down across from him. "Let me see," she ordered firmly, holding her hand out. When he didn't move she narrowed her eyes at him and snatched his arm away from his side. "Stubborn," she hissed through her teeth as she examined a long scrape up his arm. "Come on, back in the bakery and I'll clean it up and bind it. It's not bad but I don't want you to get an infection. You've got a little one on your face, too."

"I'm fine," he insisted, pulling out of her grasp. Those soft hands were making his skin tingle, and he knew if he endured much more of that he'd wind up aroused. Stay down, damn it, he mentally cursed at his new appendage.

She wasn't stupid and knew exactly why he was refusing to come down, so Mako did the one thing she knew that would get him moving. "Well, I guess I could use my shirt to bind your arm if you'd like," she said nonchalantly, moving her hands to the hem to pull it up over her head.

"FINE!" Piccolo snapped, reaching out to tug the cloth back into place before she exposed any more of her flat, creamy stomach.

"After you, my dear," she ordered smugly, only beginning her descent once he had floated to the ground. She leapt gracefully down to the pavement once she was only ten feet from it, scooped up her shoes and socks, and unlocked the door. "I was thinking about closing a little early anyway, since it'll be dark soon. Here, come on, into the back," she said as she ushered him in and locked up behind them. "Take a seat and I'll get my kit."

Still carrying the lunch she'd made him, Piccolo dug in and tried not to groan at the taste of her soup and homemade bread.

"Good?" She asked with a knowing smile as she sat right beside him, placing some items on the table. Mako's smile widened when he grunted and nodded; there was no better feeling for her than when someone was enjoying her cooking. "You enjoy your meal while I patch you up," she ordered, immediately beginning to treat his arm and wrap it in clean gauze.

Piccolo froze when he felt her soft fingertips whispering down his cheek, his eyes fluttering shut with a will of their own as his body tightened and began to respond to the caress. "It's fine," he whispered hoarsely. "Leave it be."

Gods… I'd say that he looks like my old sempai… but he's soooo much hotter than him! Mmm… my favorite color, too. I wonder if he tastes like a green bean or a cucum—Piccolo clearing his throat broke off her thoughts, and she realized that she was still cupping his cheek in her hand. "Oh, sorry," she whispered hurriedly, pulling away with a little blush.

About to tell her that he'd heard every thought due to his telepathy and the contact, Piccolo decided against it. He didn't have time; her thoughts had really aroused him and he thanked every god he could think of that his pants were baggy as hell. "Thank you for the meal," he grunted before standing, turning and striding out of the room before she could see his raging erection.

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Mako sighed for the millionth time as she looked out of the window and tried to spot her tall, green shadow. He'd been completely aloof since the day before when she'd patched up his arm, despite the fact that the plates and mugs she left him were always returned empty. One had even had a little thank you written on a scrap of paper.

She finally decided to close up shop just before sundown. She cleaned up the mess for the day and put away the leftover goods in the fridge for the next morning; she always gave the day-old stuff to people for free if they were hungry. Locking the door behind her, she sighed quietly. "You can walk with me if you'd like," she offered, knowing damned well that he could hear her. "And… if I did something to upset you… I'm sorry," she added sadly. Mako jumped and turned as she felt a clawed hand briefly squeeze her shoulder, but there was no one behind her. At that she smiled; she hadn't upset him, he was just being shy.

Knowing that he was trailing her closely, Mako began her walk home in the dark and didn't bother worrying about the shortcuts; with such a huge hunk of man following her every movement, she didn't have to concern herself with being harassed. That and there was this curious bright glow coming from beyond the buildings on her side of the city… they must have been having some sort of event in the slums, maybe? It didn't look like spotlights, though… it looked more like a fire.

Thinking that over, she didn't even spare a glance towards the men gathered in a tight group in an alley she was traversing; they were all wearing suits and seemed to be heatedly discussing something important.

Their conversation ceased once she was truly in earshot, though, and Mako jumped back when they all spread across the alley and blocked her only exit. "I'm warning you," she whispered dangerously, dropping her purse to the ground and she slipped easily into a fighting stance. "I'm not some helpless little girl."

"Oh, we're aware of that, princess," one of the men chuckled. "Diamond warned us that you and another would be especially difficult to bring in alive… so he told us to just kill you if you put up a fuss."

Much to the gang members' surprise, Mako was the first one to strike, sending chiclets flying to the ground as she knocked out the teeth of one man with a right cross and the unknown strength from her home planet. She moved liked the lightning of Jupiter as she broke someone's nose, then a jaw, but there were a lot of them and only one of her… and they had her overpowered and pinned once they'd overcome their astonishment. "Took you long enough," she grunted. "One girl takes out four of your boys and you all just stand there and shit the bed? Fucking pussies," she snorted.

She was suddenly freed from her face-down position on the concrete, and the screams and shouts of the men that had pinned her greeted her ears before she even turned around. Her eyes met the sight of blood and carnage… and a scowling, dangerous-as-hell looking Piccolo, who was surveying the damage with a hint of blood lust in his eyes. "Thank you," she breathed. Her knees shook and gave out then, and Makoto trembled and tried not to cry. She'd been so terrified but had refused to let the Yakuza members see it… now it was threatening to come out in full force.

"Koto," Piccolo grunted sharply, sliding to his knees in front of her to check her over for injuries. "Are you hurt?" He stiffened when she threw herself into his arms and hugged him tightly, but he returned the warm embrace despite his hesitancy. "Koto?"

"I—I'm f—fine… I was just so scared, Piccolo. Thank you… thank you so much."

"Let's get you home," he replied, sitting her purse in her lap before scooping her up and taking to the air. He had her home in less than a minute and unlocked her door for her when she fumbled for the keys with shaking hands. He set her on the couch before delicately checking her over, growling to himself at the way she was trembling with fear. "Makoto."

The firmness of his voice brought her around a little and she stared up at him with wide green eyes. "Piccolo?"

"Are you hurting anywhere?" He snarled aloud when she nodded timidly and pointed to her neck, and when he pulled her hair to the side he saw a hand-shaped bruise from where she'd been pinned to the concrete. His claws ghosted over the lightly tanned flesh and he felt her shiver in response. "Anywhere else?"

"Just… just a few bruises. I'll be alright," she whispered, fearfully looking out her window as if she expected another attacker to be waiting for them. "Don't go!" She said a little loudly when he rose from the couch, sounding just as terrified as she felt.

"I'll be outside in the tree, Koto. I won't leave," Piccolo rumbled, intent on staying awake the whole night at his post if that's what was required for her safety.

"No, Piccolo… please… please just stay?" Mako asked meekly. "I'll feel a lot safer with you in the house."

After a long moment of seeing her so vulnerable, Piccolo nodded and perched on the edge of the couch cushion beside her. "I'll stay here. You can go sleep, just leave your door open so I can hear you easily if you need help." He sighed when she hugged him for a second time that night, so tightly that she nearly cut off his air despite his superior strength. "I won't let them hurt you, Koto. Go on to bed."

She did as she was told but returned after ten minutes, dressed for bed in a silk strappy nightgown that only came to the tops of her thighs. "Here," she offered, handing him a towel before piling some blankets and a couple of pillows on one end of the couch. "You… um… have a lot of blood on your clothes. I can, um… wash them for you if you'd like."

Piccolo silently sputtered at the hint of color to her cheeks but took the towel anyway; she was right, he needed a shower desperately after killing all of those men. "Thank you. I'll leave the clothes on the bathroom counter. Don't worry about fresh ones, I can produce my own when necessary."

Makoto couldn't help but smile at that. "I wish I could do the same," she mused. "I always have such a hard time finding clothes for a woman my height. And, well… my bust line," she added with a snicker. "Sorry," she said hurriedly when he turned a little purple. "It used to be a running joke in college that they needed a big and tall store for women in the Juubaan district. But I'd be the only customer," she giggled. "In fact… you know what? You're the only man I've ever met that's actually taller than me."

"Seven feet even," Piccolo rumbled, knowing what her next statement would be.

"Must be hell living in Japan with all these short little Asians, huh?" She quipped before turning back to her room. "Bathroom's right there," she said while she pointed it out. "I'll come in for the dirty clothes once I'm sure you're behind the curtain."

Piccolo sighed once he was under the hot spray, the water in the tub running red before going down the drain. The expected knock came after a few minutes and he froze, half-expecting her to try something funny when he heard the door open.

"I've got them," he heard Makoto say softly. "If you need anything just ask, Piccolo… and… thank you again," she added.

"You're welcome. I'll only be another minute," Piccolo ground through his teeth, trying not to groan at the reaction his body was having to the sound of her low, sultry voice. His imagination was running away with him then as his mind pictured her climbing in to join him in the shower, her bare body sliding over his as she did whatever it was that humans did when they were naked together.

Living in the forest for years had taught him the basics of how mating was done through observation of the wildlife, but damn if he realized that he hadn't a clue about just how humans got the job done. "Other than inserting item A into slot B… gods, I'm clueless," Piccolo huffed quietly. "Ugh… I can't believe that I'm actually considering…" He shook his head as he felt himself grow impossibly harder, his new organ throbbing and aching for some form of contact. "Usa had better figure something out before I wind up doing something idiotic."

He found Mako once he got out of the shower and tried not to stare at her backside when he discovered her bending over the washing machine as she pretreated the blood stains on his soiled clothing. His cock reacted immediately in response, and Piccolo was frankly amazed that a little red dot hadn't just appeared on the crotch of her green silk thong. Damn thing is like one of those human heat-seeking missiles, he mentally groaned. He cleared his throat after another moment of admiring her shapely assets, only to feel his body tighten further when she turned and he saw those wide green eyes coupled with her reddened cheeks.

Mako quickly stood up straight and righted the hem of her nightgown, knowing full well that she'd given him quite the eyeful. "Sorry," she said embarrassedly. "I set up a bed of sorts for you on the couch… um… unless of course…" She swallowed and pointed towards her room. "I can take the couch if you'd prefer the bed. I owe you that much as it—"

"No, the couch is fine, thank you." He didn't even need to read her mind to know that she was thinking about inviting him to stay with her, and he found himself telling his stupid one-minded cock to shut up when it seemed to sing in agreement with the idea. Not happening, damn it. Cut it out!

Makoto nodded; she'd been hoping that maybe, just maybe he'd make a move. But no, that would be too much to hope for. She placed the clothing in the washer and set it to heavy soil before shutting the lid. "Alright… and thank you again, Piccolo," she added softly, stepping forward and standing on her tiptoes to kiss his cheek before he could even think to back away. "If you need anything just come wake me up, ok?" That counted as an invitation, right? And an awfully transparent one at that! She went on to her room then, feeling as if she'd left the ball in his court; she'd given him an obvious green light and if he wanted more than just a kiss on the cheek as a thank you he needed to only climb into the bed with her.

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She had been a little surprised to wake by herself in the morning, but after some thought about the issue, Mako realized that maybe, just maybe Piccolo had never been with a woman before. She found him ridiculously sexy, but even she had to admit that most women didn't have the same taste in exotic-looking men as she did. Ok, fine. Very exotic in this case. Not to mention the very strong, very, very silent type. "Maybe I need to give a much more obvious invitation," she chuckled softly. "Maybe tonight."

She rolled out of bed then, leaving her hair down as she threw his clothes in the dryer and started breakfast in the kitchen… and she knew he was behind her after several minutes even though he'd entered silently. Mako's jaw practically hit the floor when she turned and saw him nude from the waist up; he was rubbing at his eyes groggily as he took a seat at the table and clearly didn't have a clue what he was doing to her.

"Coffee," she said softly, setting a cup in front of him before returning to her cooking.

Piccolo just nodded and grunted, and was halfway through his mug when he finally looked up and his eyes locked on her gorgeous figure. Damn it, not again, he groaned silently as his eyes wandered her hungrily. He watched her move around the kitchen in a manner that was similar to the way he did his morning warm-ups; she moved with an ease that spoke of years of doing the same movements every day, her motions fluid, beautiful and smooth. Damn it, he realized, I wish she'd talk or something. It's when she's quiet like this that I can't stop looking at her. "Shouldn't the bakery be open by now?" He managed.

"Didn't you read the paper I'd posted on the door?" She asked seriously. "I'm on vacation until January second. I'll go in maybe tomorrow or on Christmas Eve and bake some stuff for the poor, but that's it. I hate working during the holidays."

"Oh. I guess it is nearly Christmas," he mused aloud. Fishing for a line of conversation to distract him from looking at all that tanned, bare skin, he spoke again. "We have a similar holiday in the summer on my planet. We celebrate the rainy season since we subsist on only water."

It took Mako a moment to process that and she stopped cooking to stare at him. "But… I've seen you—"

"I almost never eat since I don't have to," Piccolo said with a shrug. "But you're a very excellent cook so I have a hard time turning down the food," he admitted, his face turning slightly purple.

"Wow… I think that's arguably the highest compliment anyone's paid to my work," she said with a genuinely pleased smile. "Thank you, Piccolo!" Mako set a plate in front of him then and nodded towards it before cutting on the little TV she kept in the kitchen, and immediately gaped at the news. "So it was a fire… holy!—Oh my God, Piccolo, look at this!"

The Namekian sputtered at the sight of Trunks and Vegeta writing their names in the snow and shook his head with a groan of impatience. "Dumbasses."

"You know them?"

"Unfortunately, yes," Piccolo replied as he munched on a piece of bacon. "I helped to train the younger of the two. The Ghost is his father if it isn't obvious enough for you."

"They're saying that all of the Triads are dead," Mako said softly. "Do you think… that maybe they work for the Yakuza?"

"Gods, no," Piccolo snorted. "They're trying to take them all out. In fact… I need to speak with The Ghost while it's still early. Remain here until I return and don't even open a window. Understood?"

"Heh… I like it when you get all bossy, green bean," Mako teased as she pressed against him and kissed his cheek, grinning at the deep purple flush spreading down his chest. "Tell me… are you this bossy all the time?"

Not sure how to answer that, Piccolo just gave her a nervous nod in hopes that she'd back away. His hopes were dashed when she smiled up at him sexily and trailed a fingernail down his chest. "Good… I like it when the man's in charge." Makoto resisted the urge to laugh when he made a little choked noise in the back of his throat in response. "Well, get going and maybe I'll still be here when you get back," she said with a playful whack to his ass. "Clothes in the dryer should be done."

When he just stared at her she lost it a little and hung on to the counter while she giggled. "I take it you're not used to being teased."

"Uh…. Um… no?" Certainly not like that, anyway. Now he wasn't sure if she was trying to make an advance to mate, or if she was simply doing as she'd just implied… teasing. "So you're just… joking?" He managed hoarsely.

Turning back around from where she'd started cooking again, Mako just smiled and sighed. "If that's what you want to think, green bean. Go on and meet with your friend while I eat and shower and stuff. I'll watch TV or something if you're not back by then."

Yeah, this won't be horribly long AND it'll likely be rerated to M during the next chapter :D We all know Mako's going to have to jump his bones and not the other way around! R&R and I'll try and get some more stuff up for yall, NOT just this story, either!