Sharing the Dream

Sequel to "Different Hearts, Same Dream"

A DragonBall Z fanfic by Hana Noir

Piccolo stood on the platform of the Tenka, with Dende and Mr. Popo standing a respectful distance behind him. At his feet were scattered the bright orbs of the Dragonballs. He took a deep breath, stabilizing himself for what was to come. He had waited six months for the Dragonballs to become active again, and it had taken another three months to find them all. He had cut it close, but now his goal was at hand. He reached into the pouch at his waist and pulled out the final glowing orb, placing it with the rest. Then he took several steps back. Now…

"I summon you, Shenlong!!" he cried out, the wind whipping his cape wildly behind him. "Come forth and grant my wish!" Dende and Mr. Popo shielded their eyes from the incandescent light that burst from the orbs and arched skyward. The clouds turned dark and thunder boomed ominously as lightning danced from cloud to cloud. Piccolo stood his ground, narrowing his eyes at the brilliant light.

Who has summoned me here? the voice of the massive dragon was deafening on both aural and mental levels.

"I did," Piccolo shouted above the echo of the voice.

I shall grant thee two wishes. Speak quickly.

Piccolo took a deep breath. This was it. The moment he had obsessed over for the last nine months. "I only have one wish, great Shenlong. I wish for Kyrie to be returned to life." He stared up at the coils of the immense spirit, but did not see them. All he saw was her. He squared his shoulders, trying to contain himself.

The dragon hung suspended for a moment, then he nodded his huge head. It shall be done. His eyes glowed white hot for a moment, then a figure appeared in the middle of the gathered Dragonballs. Dende and Mr. Popo both leaned forward for a better look at the human female who had managed to befriend Piccolo. She stepped out of the light, her smile almost as radiant. A white toga-like garment hung from one shoulder, leaving the other bare. The wild wind tossed the strands of her auburn hair about her face, obscuring her eyes.

Piccolo stared in amazement. He had halfway convinced himself that something would go wrong, and now, here she was. The only other person on this planet who could lay claim to part of his heart was standing before him, holding out her hand. He moved forward, reaching out to run his fingers through the fine hair at her temples.

"You really brought me back," she whispered with awe, covering his hand with her own. Piccolo let out the breath that he hadn't realized he had been holding. He started to speak, only to be interrupted.

Your wish has been granted. I bid thee farewell. Then, to Piccolo's shock, the Dragon tilted his head down, and spoke again. Guard her well. There was an explosion and a great flash of light and the Dragonballs shot off into the air.

"What was that about?" Dende asked Piccolo, slightly concerned. The Dragon had never said anything like that before and it unnerved the young Kami.

"I don't know," Piccolo said gruffly, a bit annoyed that everyone was butting in on his moment.

C'est la vie, came a laughing voice in his mind. Obsidian eyes met emerald, then they both grinned.

For some unknown reason, he replied in the same manner, I've actually missed your smart ass comments.

"Dende, this is Kyrie," Piccolo said aloud when the younger Namek nudged him. He scowled down at Dende, who grinned unrepentantly.

"I'm very pleased to meet you," Dende said, bowing slightly. "I've wanted to for some time now." He glanced back over his shoulder at his still silent aide and smirked. "That's Mr. Popo."

Kyrie smiled. "It's nice to meet you both." She finally took note of her surroundings. "Wh-where are we?"

"The Tenka," Piccolo replied, smirking when her eyes grew wide with surprise. "Dende is also the Kami of Earth."

"Interesting company you keep," she said, surveying the platform again. The capricious wind caught the hem of the flowing robe she was wearing and blew it upward. "Whoa!" she exclaimed, trying to hold the thing down.

"If you'll come with me," Dende said, offering his hand, "I'm sure we can find you something more suitable to wear." Kyrie nodded and took his hand, allowing him to lead her into the building. Mr. Popo trailed along behind them, murmuring something about tea.

"Okay, when did I lose control of the situation?" Piccolo muttered as he watched them walk away.

Kyrie glanced back over her shoulder, grinning. Did you have it to begin with?

Night had fallen before they had a chance to talk again. Piccolo found her sitting in the shadows behind the main building, her feet dangling over the edge of the platform. Her face was obscured by the darkness, so that he couldn't see her expression when he joined her.

"Hi," she said softly, gesturing for him to join her. He sat down slowly, watching her for any hint of her mood.

"What're you doing out here?" he asked, curious as to why she was sitting all alone.

"I just needed a minute to adjust," she replied, the dark silhouette of her hand rising to tuck an errant lock of hair behind her ear. "It's been a long day. And Dende-sama and Mr. Popo are very nice, but still…" She shrugged, unable to explain the need to be alone.

"I'll let you have a few more minutes," Piccolo said gruffly, starting to rise. He blinked when her hand caught him in mid-motion.

"No, please. Stay with me a while," she said, looking up at him. He nodded and sat back down.

"How long…" her voice trailed off, unable to finish the question.

"Nine months," he said. "I had to wait six months for the balls to become active again, and then it took me three more to find them all."

"I see."

"Do you remember anything?" Piccolo was curious enough to ask.

She shook her head. "It was like being asleep. I closed my eyes there in the forest with you. And when I opened them again, there was a funny old woman waiting there for me."

"Baba," Piccolo stated.

"Yes, that was her name," Kyrie said. "She waited with me while you summoned the Dragon." They sat there for several more minutes, neither speaking, merely enjoying the company. "It's strange," she finally said, moving closer to Piccolo. He awkwardly put an arm around her shoulders as she curled up against his side. He was still surprised by the casual way she touched him.

"What is?"

"I didn't expect to come back," she admitted. "Of course, I didn't know anything about the Dragonballs at the time, but still…" She tilted her head up to look at him. "Did you miss me that much?"

Piccolo was taken by surprise. He hadn't given it much consideration, but he had missed her. Very much, in fact. It wasn't easy for him to admit to his feelings and even more difficult to express them, but he couldn't deny the earnest face staring up at him. "I… I did," he finally managed to get out. She responded by wrapping her arms around his waist and laying her head on his chest. She could hear the odd beating of his heart and it gave her pause for a second. Unlike a human heart, his had a triple beat. Its' cadence was very soothing and she closed her eyes, focusing on the sound. Piccolo watched as she slid into sleep, a slight smile on his face. Then he gently gathered her up in his arms and carried her inside to the room that was waiting.

The next day, Kyrie rose early, padding out barefoot to watch the glorious sunrise. It was like being surrounded by light as the sun's rays bathed the Tenka in radiance. She closed her eyes and held out her arms, feeling a warm breeze caress her body. Piccolo had been meditating when he sensed her awakening. He watched her from where he had been sitting in the shadows of the building, unable to take his eyes from her as she greeted the sun. He didn't know much about how humans judged such things, but to him she looked very beautiful at that moment. A scuffling sound from off to the side ruined the moment, however, causing her to tense and whirl.

"Good morning, miss," Mr. Popo said, smiling at the young woman as he carried his gardening tools over to the flower bed running along the curve of the Tenka. The little man knelt down, murmuring to his plants in a language that only he remembered, touching each and every one as if they were beloved children. Intrigued, Kyrie stood behind him, watching as he pruned and watered, fertilized and weeded.

"Can I help?" she finally asked, kneeling next to him. Popo smiled broadly and began to explain what he was doing. Kyrie nodded periodically as she moved to help him. Dende joined Piccolo where he was still hovering and watched the two work, a tiny smile playing over his face.

"Spit it out," Piccolo said gruffly. Dende's enigmatic humor was beginning to annoy him.

The younger Namek looked startled for a second then shook his head. "Nothing really. I was just thinking that you've found quite a unique young woman. She's unlike anyone else on the planet. Her mind seems to be more… advanced than the other humans."

Piccolo frowned at that observation. "Don't mention that to her, Dende. It'll only upset her. She's not comfortable with the differences between her and the rest of her kind." He unfolded his legs and rose to tower over his companion.

Dende shook his head, giving Piccolo an aggrieved look. "I'm not that insensitive, Piccolo." He paused for a moment, considering. "But I was thinking you may want to train her in the mental disciplines. She has the potential."

Piccolo's brow ridge quirked upward, skepticism all over his face. "And why, pray tell, were you thinking about that in the first place?"

Dende's face darkened as he squirmed with embarrassment. "I don't know why," he said slowly. "The idea just occurred to me and it seemed like a good one."

"Hn," Piccolo grunted, eyes narrowed as he watched Kyrie and Popo laughing together. He knew that being Kami didn't grant instant omniscience. Sometimes the best the deity would get would be a vague presentiment and he'd have to figure it out just like everyone else. Being God wasn't all it was cracked up to be. If Dende had an idea that Kyrie might need the training, then he would go along with it. Besides, it wasn't like he was busy or anything. But it could wait until the gardening was done.

Several days later, Kyrie was doing some warm up exercises in preparation for a good workout. She was feeling oddly confined here. She liked Dende-sama and Mr. Popo, very much in fact, and she also liked it here. But there was that nagging feeling of restraint in the back of her mind. Objectively, she supposed it stemmed from the fact that she just couldn't leave at will and she set herself to ignoring it. She was so wrapped up in her own mind that she didn't even sense Piccolo's approach.

When the hand grasped her shoulder, she acted purely on instinct. She spun around, bringing her flattened hand up in a swift blow. Her eyes widened when Piccolo staggered back, both hand clasped over his dripping nose. Purple blood ran from between his clenched fingers to land on the pristine floor beneath his feet.

"Son-of-a-bitch!!" was his strangled exclamation. The ruckus brought Dende and Popo running and Kyrie wished that she could just disappear.

"Oh, hell…" Kyrie sighed, torn between embarrassment by her paranoid reaction and self-anger that she had injured her friend. "I'm sorry, Piccolo." The look he gave her was decidedly disgruntled, but he let her move his hands away from his face. Dende joined her in examining the injury.

"Nothing I can't fix," the young Kami said, trying to hide his amusement. Piccolo's expression was even more displeased now. A soft glow emanated from Dende's hands and lit up the austere planes of Piccolo's face. Seconds later, the injury was gone as if it had never occurred.

Kyrie looked at Dende with new interest. "How did you do that?"

He shrugged, smiling. "A natural talent. It comes in handy in the company I keep." Piccolo rolled his eyes, sneering slightly.

"If I could interrupt the Q and A session?" Piccolo broke in, still a bit peeved. "I need a moment with you, Kyrie."

"Oh, okay…" she trailed off as he caught her by the arms and marched her away. Dende and Popo exchanged slightly smug grins as they watched them depart. Piccolo reached the edge of the platform, and without slowing, swept the girl up and stepped off the edge. A strangled gasp was the only sound she made.

(Author's Notes: Well, you all asked for it and here it is! The first part of the sequel. Actually, this is going to be more of a short interlude before the actual sequel. But anyway, the idea remains the same. ^_^ And I think we all know that I don't own Dragonball Z or any of its characters. Kyrie is my creation however. Mine, mine, mine! ::blinks:: Not that I think anyone will abduct her or anything. Don't forget to leave me a review! And If you do, and you have anything posted I might just review you in turn! ^_~ Later!)