Title: Understanding You
Rated: G
Disclaimer: If DBZ were mine, there would be more Nail, so obviously I don't own it. *Grumbles under breath* darn Toei, FUNimation, blah blah blah.
Author's notes: Not exactly AU, much OOCness from Piccolo, but I can never keep that guy in character. Amy is just the first name to come into my head so she is made up by me.


"How could you?!" Gohan yelled angrily.
"She didn't do anything!"
"I said I was sorry," Piccolo yelled back at him. The other people in the waiting room of the hospital fled to the far corners as Gohan immersed himself in the flames of his ki.
"Just go away!" Gohan screamed, "I never want to see you again!"
Piccolo stood dumbfounded for a moment, then whipped around and headed for the door.
'He never wants to see me again?' he thought. 'Ever?' The words racing through his mind made his entire body ache. 'How will I survive with out you, my son?'
"(Your son, Piccolo?)" Nail spoke to him. *(And you always scorned me for being brotherly with Dende.)*
'Shut up, Nail,' Piccolo thought back. 'Now is not the time.' Nail receded to the back of Piccolo's mind, but not without one last comment.
*(You should have listened to me,)* he muttered, *(You shouldn't have blown up his girlfriend.)*
"I did not blow up his girlfriend!!" Piccolo yelled out loud, frightening a young couple who were getting out of their car. 'I mean, I may have sent a warning shot..'
*(You blew her up, you bum!)* Nail yelled.
*(Now, he had good intentions)* Kami interrupted *(.....right?)*
"I...I...didn't want..." Piccolo stuttered, suddenly uneasy about his inner conversation.
*(You didn't want what, Piccolo?)* Kami gently urged.
"I didn't want to lose him." he admitted.
*(Oh, that explains a lot about you think,)* Nail murmured, *(Well, what you let us know you think anyway.)*
*(What do you really think of the boy Piccolo?)* Kami asked.
Piccolo looked at the ground, which seemed to hold some magical fascination. "Ever since I trained him, I've felt a...connection. The way he used to call me Mr. Piccolo and he would look up at me with those huge deep dark eyes of his. I guess I...well I think I might lo-"
"Piccolo?!" Krillin raced over to the exiting Namek. "Do you know what's going on here? I was working on a sound cd when Gohan called and told me to come to the hospital. Is everything all right?"
Piccolo was silent.
"Piccolo?" Krillin nudged his leg. "Piccolo, do you know what happened? Is Gohan ok?"
"Yes, but his girlfriend..." Piccolo answered.
"What's happened to Amy?" Krillin urged. "Will she be all right?"
"I didn't hit her with a powerful ki blast-" Piccolo began.
"YOU BLEW HER UP?!" Krillin yelled.
"I didn't blow her up!" Piccolo yelled back, "I just..."
*(Tell him, Piccolo.)* Kami ordered.
"I followed him on his date and when she kissed him I became a bit...jealous." Piccolo admitted.
"Why? I don't think you'd wanna kiss him instead, huh?" Krillin joked.
"NO WAY!" Piccolo yelled, eyes wide as dinner plates. "I just wanted Gohan to.."
Piccolo made his way over to a tree and planted himself on the ground and leaned against the trunk. Krillin followed him, sat next to him, putting his hands in his pockets and urged him to continue.
"I guess I wanted Gohan to feel the same way about me as I do about him."
"Do you love him?" Krillin asked.
"Yes, I do. I do love him. As close as I can come to loving anyone else I suppose."
"You should tell him, then." Krillin said quietly. "Of all the things I thought of you, Piccolo, gay was not one of them."
Piccolo face vaulted. "WHAT?!? I don't love him like that!!"
"Hm?" Krillin just stared at him. "Then what do you mean Piccolo?"
"I love him like he was my own son." he muttered. "I would do anything for him, to make him happy." He looked down, "Except give him away to anyone else.
As Krillin watched in utter amazement, two tears raced each other down Piccolo's face. 'Wow! Piccolo's crying! I never thought I'd see the day! I guess he's really serious about this whole thing...'
"I can't relate," Krillin confessed. "I always thought of Gohan more as a friend, not a son. But come to think of it, it's always been kind of obvious you've got a soft spot for the kid."
"Huh? What do you mean?" Piccolo asked.
"Gohan was the only thing in the world that could ever bring a smile to your face. You really seemed to hate everyone but him." Krillin looked back on all the years he had known Piccolo and his attachment to Gohan. "Back on Namek, the old Namek, you saved his life, and took blasts for him, Kami, the kid loves you too."
"He does?" Piccolo perked up.
*(Baka, you can't possibly be that blind.)* Nail scoffed.
"Look, would you just shut up for one moment?!" Piccolo yelled. Krillin shrank back away from the booming Namek.
"Not you," Piccolo told him. "Gohan told me he never wanted to see me again."
"He didn't mean it," Krillin comforted him, "He's just mad. Hey if you blew up my girlfriend I'd-"
"I DID NOT BLOW UP HIS GIRLFRIEND!" Piccolo screeched, he punched the tree behind him and the foliage above them ceased to exist. Piccolo plopped back down on the ground and crossed his arms.
"You mean the world to him, Piccolo," Krillin whispered. "The kid practically worships you."
"What do I do now?" Piccolo whispered into his hands. "I don't think I could live without Gohan. He's too important to me. Ever since I trained him, he has inspired me to actually be a better person. I could never hurt the kid on purpose, and now, after this...I don't know how to say I'm sorry." A tear splashed on Piccolo's hand. He looked at it, then brought a finger to trace the rivers running down his face. "He can't leave me forever, I can't make him understand, I don't know how to tell him..." He broke off and flew away, his ki trailing behind him.
"You already did, big guy," Krillin pulled the tape recorder from his pocket and pushed the stop button. "You already did."

Piccolo landed in the middle of a desert and collapsed on the ground, weeping.
*(Piccolo, I...)*, Nail began *(I don't know how to help you through this one.)* With that, he receded to the back of Piccolo's mind and kept silent.
As drop after drop hit the thirsty desert tundra, Piccolo's shoulders heaved under the heavy cape. "How can I live?" he whispered. He threw his fists in the air as thunder rolled through the clouds. Rain began pattering around him, washing his tears off his face and blending with the ones leaving his eyes.
'This storm is my sadness, crying all my tears that I've kept inside for so many years.' Piccolo thought. 'But...'
*(But what?)* Kami asked him.
"But," he said aloud sadly, "when the storm is over, the pain will still be here."

Back at the hospital, Krillin exited the elevator and raced over to Gohan.
"Gohan!" he called.
"Krillin! You made it!" Gohan hugged his friend.
"Is she going to be ok?" Krillin asked worriedly, "How bad is it?"
"She's going to be just fine." he answered, "Just a few burns but she'll be just fine."
"I heard you told Piccolo-" Krillin began.
"I never want to see him again!" Gohan turned his back to Krillin. "I just don't see why he would do such a thing."
"Maybe you'd better listen to this." Krillin handed him a tape.

Piccolo levitated cross-legged above the mud as a scorpion took shelter from the heat in his shadow. His eyes had long since drained themselves of tears.
"Piccolo?" Gohan's voice was almost inaudible, even to his sharp ears.
"Gohan?" Piccolo said quietly, thinking it was his imagination. Then turned around slowly as he recognized Gohan's power signature. "Gohan, it's you."
"I just wanted to say that..." he began softly.
"I'm sorry I blew up your girlfriend." Piccolo said quickly.
"Ex-girlfriend," Gohan corrected. "After she woke up, the first thing she said was 'Gohan we're through.'"
"Why are you here?" Piccolo asked cautiously.
"I understand, Piccolo." Gohan told him, "I finally understand."

Owari! What you think? You like, yes? Ok, maybe not, but if you liked any of it, please review for heaven's sake! Ja ne!