(Author's note: Okay, it's not much, just a story idea that popped into my head. If you think it's interesting enough to continue, write a review. That'll be enough to encourage me that I'm not just wasting my time and yours! Thanks, everyone!
And, I'm sure we all know that I don't own the series or the characters, as much as I'd like to… Well, the new character is mine, but I don't think anyone's going to be too concerned about that!)
Different Hearts, Same Dream
A DragonBall Z fic
By Hana Noir
It had been only a week since the defeat of Cell. A week since Gokou had died. The humans were already rebuilding and moving on. That idiot Mr. Satan had been hailed as a hero, embraced by the population. Piccolo was unable to control the sneer that curled his lips at that thought, exposing one ivory fangtip. Gohan had only shrugged and remarked that he and all those who were important to him knew what had happened and that was all that mattered. Piccolo didn't exactly want to shove Gohan into the spotlight; the poor kid didn't deserve that fate. He was irked because that moron wrestler had stepped in and taken credit for the feat that Gohan and the other Z warriors had suffered so much to accomplish. He scowled down at the forest beneath him. Well, he of all beings, knew that life wasn't fair.
A sound down below caught his attention and he looked down again. Almost directly beneath his feet was a large clearing. He kept his dark gaze on the area, sensing something approach. It wasn't an animal. No forest creature was that loud, be it predator or prey. And the ki level was too high. It could only be a human. He waited, and his suspicions were confirmed when the person broke through the underbrush. He frowned, looking closer as the person shrugged out of a heavy backpack. It was a female human. He couldn't help but to wonder what would bring a female to invade the quiet of his forest. It had been his experience (not that he had all that much, mind you…) that human females generally stayed in places where there were other people and modern convinces. They tended to be social creatures. He watched carefully as the young woman dug in the pocket of her ragged, cut-off denim shorts. She pulled out a Capsule case and opened it, running a finger over the numbered capsules inside. Finding the one she wanted, she pushed the button and tossed it into the middle of the large clearing. With a loud "POFP!" it transformed into a small dome shaped house. The woman smirked at the sight, then fell backwards into the slightly high grass, a smug grin on her face. She stared up at the blue, blue summer sky above her and sighed heavily. Then, she sat up on her elbows, a frown wrinkling her forehead. Piccolo started when he realized she was looking right at him. He put on a burst of speed and disappeared from her sight. Why did I do that? he asked himself angrily as he came to a stop out of sight from the clearing. If anyone should have left, it should have been her! He grudgingly admitted that he had been as startled by the sight of her as she had undoubtedly been of him.
Several days later, Piccolo found himself perched in the top of an ancient oak tree, staring down at the strange woman again. He couldn't understand what had drawn him back to this spot but he made sure that he was well camouflaged this time. The object of his reluctant vigil was on the other side of the clearing, perched on a large boulder in the shade. There was a curious object balanced on her bare knees that she stared at intently, her slim fingers dancing over the keys imbedded in the object. Piccolo recognized it as a type of portable computer, but his knowledge of it ended there. He had never had much to do with human technology.
He stood there on the thick limb for several hours, arms crossed, back against the huge trunk of the tree. She never looked up from what had her attention so focused. Stupid woman, he though scathingly. A saber-tooth would have her for a snack in a second. What could possibly be so enthralling about a glowing screen? He snorted. She was stupid for not paying any attention to her surroundings. He grinned wryly; and he was equally stupid for wasting his time watching her. He pushed away from the tree and was about to take to the air when she moved. He stopped, curious as to what she would do now. She sat her laptop down and stretched, her arms and legs sticking straight out into the air.
She picked the laptop back up and stared at the screen again, chewing on her bottom lip. Piccolo grimaced and started to leave again when a sound stopped him. He looked down at the woman again; she was speaking. Or reading, to be more precise. She was reading aloud whatever it was that she had been typing earlier. He paused to listen to her voice. It was smooth and rich, a trained orator's voice. And what she was reading was interesting. It was a story, about an alien who traveled from his people's planet to a small, unknown world seeking to make a place for himself. Fascinated, Piccolo sat down to listen.
She read aloud for several hours, stopping occasionally to make changes or to reword lines that didn't sound quite right. Piccolo was riveted by both her voice and her story. Before either the writer or her hidden audience had realized, the sun was starting to set and mosquitoes were beginning to stir.
"Shit… I hate mosquitoes," she muttered, executing a few quick commands and shutting down her laptop. She closed it and hopped down off of the rock, a smile of contentment on her face. Taking one last look around the clearing, she entered the capsule house, closing the door firmly behind her. Piccolo, having nothing better to do now that the woman had gone, settled down on the branch and decided to meditate.
The next morning, she was out again, carrying her computer, but she didn't go to sit on the rock this time. She set out into the woods, following a narrow deer trail until it came out at a stream flowing out of a tall hill, creating a small waterfall. She settled down on the bank and started writing. Piccolo settled overhead to watch. It occurred to him that he was spending a lot of time following this unknown woman, time that could be better spent training. Training for what exactly? he asked himself. Cell is gone, the androids are no longer a threat. What's left to defeat? He leaned back against the new tree he had adopted as his perch, ordering his thoughts and slipping into a meditative trance. If he had searched for the truth behind his new preoccupation with the woman, he would have come to the realization that he was lonely. For the last three years, he had spent all his time with Gohan, Goku and, to some extent, ChiChi. He had grown accustomed to having company, to seeing familiar faces and hearing familiar voices. But Piccolo's stubborn streak made him a master at ignoring truths that he didn't wish to acknowledge.
A vague sense of unease brought him back to awareness and he opened his eyes and looked around, expecting to see something out of place. The position of the sun indicated that several hours had passed, but the woman was still writing, a faint sheen of sweat on her forehead even though she was in the shade. She kept interrupting her work to rub at the back of her neck, glancing around uncertainly as she did. Finally, she stopped and put her laptop down next to one of the trees lining the bank. She knelt down at the creek's edge on a rock that jutted out to hang over the water. She bent over and plunged her head into the water, gasping as she came up. Her short, wavy auburn hair was plastered to her head and rivulets of water ran down her neck, wetting the neck of her baggy green tank top. Refreshed, she headed back to her work.
As she sat back down, a faint sound came to Piccolo. He turned his head, his large pointed ears catching sounds from the thick brush across the creek, coming closer. He homed in on the directions that the sounds were coming from and watched intently. The bestial grunts, moans and growls indicated an animal, a large one judging by the amount of noise it was making. The woman was alert now, watching the bushes on the other side of the creek with wary eyes. Namekseijin and human alike were focused on the same area. The leaves rattled and a very large, very angry bear burst out onto the creek bank. It reared up on its thick hind legs and let out an earth shattering roar, black lips curled back to expose sharp yellow teeth. Blood was running down its side to drip onto the dirt under its feet.
The woman was still, trying not to attract the huge predator's attention. The bear dropped back down, pacing the creek bed angrily, sniffing the air. It's blowing from the bear's direction, Piccolo thought, watching. Hopefully, it won't catch her scent. Fickle fate chose that moment to step in, and the wind changed direction, making the woman's short hair blow. The bear let out a snort, its heavy head coming up as its nostrils flared. It turned and looked directly at the vulnerable human and charged into the water. She was on her feet and running as soon as it hit the water. Piccolo was a bit astonished by her speed and he took to the air to follow.
She was fast, but the bear was angry and in pain. It equated the human scent with the pain in its side and was determined to catch what, in its mind, was the source of its pain. It didn't even pause to shake the water from its fur before taking up the chase. Piccolo saw the furious beast gaining on the woman, regaining the ground she had covered while it had struggled across the creek. She didn't bother to look back, only clutching her computer to her chest and pouring all the strength she had into her pumping legs. He could hear her harsh breathing as she crashed though a thick tangle of undergrowth. The bear was only seconds behind her and was gathering itself to spring when Piccolo swooped down and scooped up the startled woman up into his arms and away from the open jaws of the bear.
She stared up at her unexpected savior, face pale and sweaty, making her wide green eyes seem even bigger. Piccolo eyed her warily, hoping that she wouldn't scream. That really annoyed the hell out of him. Within seconds, they were back at the clearing and he touched down in front of the little house. Without a word, he sat her on her feet and turned away, preparing to take off again.
"Wait!" She reached out and caught his arm before he got an inch off the ground. Startled, he whirled to face her. She stood her ground, staring up at him wide eyed. "I… I know your face. I saw you there, at the Cell games." She then realized that she still had hold of his arms and snatched her hand away, blushing slightly. "You, you saved me."
Piccolo ducked his head, not quite sure how to respond. "Yeah, well, I just couldn't stand there and watch you get mauled," he said gruffly. He made as if to move away again, and she reached out again, stopping just short of touching him.
"Please, don't go. You saved me," she repeated, a look of pure wonderment on her face. "Thank you. I don't know what to say, but thank you." He nodded, his face taking on a darker hue as he actually blushed slightly. Gratitude was not something he was accustomed to. Most people took one look at him and ran screaming.
A loud crash distracted them and they both jumped slightly. The bear, having followed the trail she had taken earlier, rushed at them out of the trees, snarling. "Persistent son-of-a-bitch," Piccolo muttered, raising his right arm. A white ki ball shot out of his hand, blowing a hole straight through the bear. It managed to look shocked as it slumped to the ground, dead.
"Oh…" the woman walked over to get a closer look. Piccolo grabbed for her but she was already beyond arm's reach. She looked back at him over her shoulder. "Don't worry, he's dead," she said, a note of conviction in her voice. She crouched down next to the furry mound and examined it closely. She shook her head and rose to her feet.
"It was shot," she said, stepping away. "No wonder it was so angry and hurt. Some irresponsible moron must have shot it and not bothered to track it down." She looked angry about that. "You just ended its suffering, that's all."
He snorted, making a mental note to keep an eye out for anyone with a gun in the future. "I'll get it out of here." He reached out and grabbed a handful of the loose hide. He started to rise, keeping a tight grip on the heavy corpse.
She looked worried for a moment. "Will you come back?" She tilted her head back to see him as he hovered. "I don't even know your name," she admitted wryly.
Piccolo hesitated, torn by his newfound need for companionship and his dislike for most humans. "I don't know," he finally admitted. "But my name is Piccolo."
She smiled, and it seemed to light up the entire clearing. "Thank you, Piccolo." He nodded and started to rise again. "I'm Kyrie," she said softly as he disappeared in the distance.
Piccolo took one last look back. "Kyrie…" he said, the wind swallowing the word.