Lucid
A story about how Goku and Piccolo really became friends, and how Piccolo and Chi-chi almost did.
This two part story is inspired by an episode of Buffy I watched.
Any mis-quotes please let me know, I don't have copies anymore of all the book I used to love!
Disclaimer: I don't own Dragonball Z or any of its characters, or anything really.
Not strictly AU, but AU elements.
Warning: Swearing & mentions of life in a mental health ward.
Part One
To be
The sting of sweat in his eyes made Goku swing too soon and he cursed as he crashed into his sparring partner, who cursed in return at the impact. They tumbled to the ground, dust kicking and puffing everywhere and Goku laughed at the Namek's scowl. He grunted and as he shoved the Saiyan away, Piccolo wondered what Goku's big thick eyebrows actually did do. He groaned as he stood, feeling every little cut, scrape and bruise begin to heal. The Saiyan had stood and was fiddling around, re tying his sash and brushing down his clothes. Piccolo's eye twitched and he crossed his arms.
"Your enemy not going to give you time for a wardrobe check"
Goku laughed, flashing his happy smile in reassurance, looking at Piccolo knowingly.
"You're not my enemy"
The Namek grimaced at the insinuation that they may, in fact, be the opposite. Friends. Goku could picture the tall man's stomach turning over in horror and he smirked.
"Of course we're friends Son"
Goku shot his head up at that, grinning.
"I knew you'd come round!"
Piccolo simply wrinkled his nose in confusion, tilting his head a little.
"What?"
"That we are friends!"
"Are you hearing things?"
"What...you just said-"
Piccolo looked blank. He snarled as he cut off the dark haired happy bomb.
"Stop saying that! I am not your friend, I am your temporary ally. They're not the same thing"
Goku faltered, not sure if he'd offended the over sensitive Namek or if this was just another one of his mood swings. He scratched the back of his head, with Piccolo in the house it was like he had a double dose of being married. He and poor Gohan didn't stand a chance. If Piccolo and Chi-chi weren't at each other's throat, they turned to the next available target. The tension of the upcoming battle with the androids took its toll on them all, he supposed. He didn't mention it to either Piccolo, or Chi-chi, but he was more concerned about the heart virus he was going to get. Androids, he could fight, viruses? Not so much. His stomach started to hum as he mused and he looked over at the man who had not so long ago tried earnestly to kill him. His head started to hurt then, from the hunger maybe.
Little did Goku know, Piccolo was actually considering a repeat performance. The Saiyan irritated him even more than a four year old Gohan had. This constant badgering for some kind of friendship was almost annoying enough that he thought about just leaving the planet. Maybe i'll take Gohan. His long ears could hear the rumblings of a Saiyan's stomach and he rolled his eyes. For fuck's sake.
"Let's go." He growled out the words though he didn't feel quite as angry as he sounded and started to walk away. Goku wanted to follow but a bout of dizziness ground him to a halt.
"Wait"
Piccolo whirled around, cape following dramatically.
"What now?!"
Goku looked up at the surly Namekian with squinted eyes, he seemed confused. Piccolo calmed himself, nostrils flaring as he took a deep breath.
"Why can't we go?"
Goku put one hand to the back of his head, like he always did and laughed nervously.
"Sorry, for a moment there I just felt a bit weird"
Piccolo said "idiot" under his breath and took off into flight, leaving Goku to literally choke on his dust. He stood still for a moment before leaping into the air as well. Always with the temper, maybe he should have married Chi-chi.
The Saiyan leapt into the air, though his flight was unsteady at first. He didn't have much time to analyse why before he heard words whispered in his ear.
"You're almost there"
It was Piccolo's deep voice, loud and clear. But he could clearly see the Namek, a steady black dot in the distance, getting smaller as Goku slowed down. His voice again, this time, so close he could feel the other man's breath.
"That's it"
Goku felt the blood cool in his veins as he looked left and right and saw nothing. Piccolo was still a good distance away. He closed his eyes and breathed. Focus. He felt so heavy, so tired suddenly. He opened his eyes again but this time they went wide.
Piccolo's face was a couple of inches from his own, jade hands gripped on either side of his head, holding him still. His own dark eyes started blinking and his breathing was speeding up. He wasn't in the air anymore, or even outside, he was in a room and he vaguely realised that he was sat on the ground. The smell of chemicals, the sounds of people talking and metal against metal, the cool of the hard floor under his hands, the feel of Piccolo's hands against his face. All of it assaulted him at once and he squeezed his eyes shut, closing it all out. No.
No, no no.
With eyes closed he could hear Piccolo's voice, it was insistent. Hints of kindness in the demanding tone.
"Open your eyes"
Something told Goku it was not okay, not okay at all. He opened his eyes wearily, dark dilated pupils looking into Piccolo's dark ruby red ones. Have they always been red? He raised his hands up and grabbed jade wrists, pulling them down. His voice was unusually quiet.
"What's going on?"
Piccolo leaned back on his knees, black trousers pulling tight. His black shirt was pulled against his broad chest and Goku could see a pen in his pocket. He wondered if Piccolo could even write. Piccolo didn't go to school. The white coat looked equally out of place.
Eyes narrowed and has asked again, this time his voice rattled with a rare anger.
"I asked what's going on!"
The other man bit his lip and took a deep breath whilst he stood up, offering Goku a hand. It was of course ignored but the Saiyan quickly realised that he wasn't going to manage on his own. He cursed as he stumbled onto the bed, quickly observing the room. It was small, one window had bars across it but he could easily get through the man made barricade. Dizziness made him shake his head as he grasped papery sheets and Piccolo took a seat in the plastic padded chair opposite.
"This is the first time i've spoken to you in over six months. Do you know that?"
Goku frowned at the odd statement. He laughed nervously, raking a tanned hand through dark hair damp with perspiration. It felt cold where it had started to settle on his forehead.
"That's nonsense Piccolo, I was just speaking to you. Where are we?"
He wondered then if they had been captured. Drugged, even.
"We're at Capsule Corp medilabs. You've been here a while now. Do you remember anything?"
Agitation was building, he looked around and saw that they were alone. What are you playing at Piccolo? Is this like when you pretended to be evil to save Gohan from Garlick Jr?
"Why are you doing this? What happened? Is Gohan okay?"
Piccolo seemed to frown at that and he leaned forward, elbows on knees and hands hanging forward. The badge on his shirt read "Dr Daimao". Goku thought it was a laughable detail. Who would believe that? I'm pretty sure Doctors have to go to school.
"Do you know who I am?"
Goku stared, waiting for the punchline of this absolutely humorless joke. It didn't come. In fact, his skin started to tingle at the cold that was flooding him. Piccolo wasn't joking, he looked deadly serious and Goku was frantically trying to think his way through this riddle. He swallowed, so audibly he thought even the other man must have heard it. He looked away, speaking to the Namek was clearly not helping. Looking down, he could see he was wearing the same colours he was used to, but a different material and design. He felt a little bit lighter too, more lithe, less strong. His mind was whirring now and his voice was quiet, barely above a whisper.
"What's going on Piccolo?"
The Namek's dark eyes were hooded in subtle sympathy. If he didn't know the man so well, he wouldn't have even noticed it. He wished he hadn't.
"You've been here for six years Son, and you've been catatonic for almost all of that time"
He blanched, went to stand up and cursed when he had to sit back down, his legs just wouldn't support him. Piccolo had his hands clasped together over his knees as he sat awkwardly in the small chair. High cheekbones made the Namek look a little big gaunt in the artificial light. He seemed to be waiting patiently for the Saiyan's reaction, ever so unlike Piccolo. Well i'd hate to disappoint.
"Obviously, I don't believe you"
This didn't seem to be news to the other man and he gave a wry smile.
"Obviously. Don't worry, you'll start to remember"
Don't worry? He glanced around, as if the room would disappear if he looked hard enough at it. The grey walls and white tiled floor just remained, boring and steady and unfamiliar. Goku looked up as a woman walked in the room, her white coat was buttoned neatly and hair was pinned up in a careful bun. He was incredulous as his eyes went wide.
"Chi-chi?"
She spared him a kind glance but muttered something under her breath, before addressing Piccolo.
"Doctor, it's time for his next injection"
The Namek nodded and stood, towering over Goku as he sat, feeling frail on the bed. He took the prepared needle from her. Goku's brows furrowed then and he shifted uncomfortably, he hated needles. A step forward was all it took for the Saiyan to put both hands up and object anxiously.
"No. I'm not having any injections"
"It's for your own safety"
Bullshit.
Chi-chi was still standing in the room, hands held in together behind her back. Her big brown eyes were staring into him and he the recognition there. She was the only piece of realism he'd had since he arrived. Piccolo put the needle behind his bad once he realised the other man's fear. It was uncharacteristically considerate and Goku was immediately suspicious.
"You've been...having delusions in your catatonic state. Structured, detailed delusions that your mind prefers to reality. You've been living, essentially, in a dream"
Goku was not longer paying much attention. He was growing tired of this game and worse, he was becoming more and more worried that this wasn't a game. Piccolo had probably not said as many words to him in the whole time they'd known each other. None of this made sense but as Chi-chi watched him stoically, he wondered for a concerning moment if the other man could possibly be telling the truth. No, don't fall for it. Piccolo moved quick and the needle was in him before he could muster the strength to put up a fight.
His eyes shot open as he came crashing out of deep sleep and he accidentally knocked something over in the dark. A light came on instantly and Chi-chi's big eyes were back again, but this time, she was wearing Chinese dress and she was concerned. He blinked a couple of times and realised, to his absolute relief, that he was at home. In the living room, and half on and half off the sofa with several blankets smothering him. Gohan came padding in after his wife, rubbing sleepily at his eyes.
"Dad! You're awake!"
Piccolo was stood leaning against the doorway, sans turban and cape. He was certain Chi-chi wouldn't like him being in the house. He felt deja-vu as he asked the same question he had just asked a different Piccolo.
"What's going on?"
"You just dropped out of the sky, I almost didn't catch you. We haven't been able to wake you since..."
Goku frowned and just shook his head. The relief was pretty incredible, and it was so good in fact that he almost didn't notice the feeling of falseness. That quiet hint that something wasn't right, like the colours being off. He looked at his family, Gohan in particular, and they all checked out. Chi-chi was complaining now about the inconvenience of Piccolo which was pretty standard. Her dress was one that he remembered, red with black flowers, and he turned to look at Gohan who was wiping one eye roughly. His pyjamas had little spaceships on and they always made him smile. He could smell the fading aromas of the herbs used at dinner and a fire now long dead, probably to fire up the outdoor tub. He looked down at himself quickly and released a breath at the sight of his tattered orange gi. Finally, a break.
He frowned and looked down at his gi again. It was the right colour, but it wasn't right. The material, it was all orange, sleeves and all. When he looked up, it was dark again. This time however, he could smell that sickly chemical smell and his heart dropped into his stomach. No. This isn't happening. He started saying it out loud and he moved his arms, but they were locked in tight by his sides.
"No! This isn't real!"
He thrashed and ground his teeth together, spittle flying and landing back on his own face. The bed was rocking on its base and he finally felt a little of the strength he knew he had. The restraints weren't as soft as he was sure they looked but he ignored the pain as he pulled against them, hard. The door flew open and Piccolo was upon him like a bat out of hell. Goku, out of options, tried to bite him as he came near and to his satisfaction, the Namek did move back in irritation. The light coming through the door wasn't overly enlightening but enough, enough to see the weariness on the other man's face.
"Stop it! I don't want to sedate you again!"
Goku spat at him and he saw Piccolo's fangs gleaming in the light. The kind doctor routine had finally worn off then.
"Then don't! Let me go!"
"Calm down." Piccolo's voice lowered then, a hint of menace in it. That's it, welcome back.
"No! You've imprisoned me, drugged me and lied to me" he caught himself before too much emotion could leak into his voice "why are you doing this?"
Piccolo looked so tall as he lay there, hair plastered to his own forehead with sweat. Antennae twitched as Piccolo said words he knew for a fact Piccolo would never say.
"I'm sorry"
The next morning had come slowly, as Goku had laid awake all night, drugs swimming through his system. The window high up on the wall and it's bars taunted him. The restraints had been tightened by the person he now knew as 'fake Piccolo' and they dug into his biceps, wrists and thighs. His skin felt weak, even, and he knew it wasn't healing like it ought to. The sun had risen and he wondered if this was even Earth. Maybe this sun was just some other bright star, known by some other name. Sleeping had been a lost cause, either because of the drugs or the stress, he didn't know which. Birds chirped somewhere in the distance outside.
The door finally opened and whoever had entered just stood at the doorway. Goku was staring at the ceiling, he didn't turn to address his visitor. He was done with this situation.
Chi-chi stood at the entrance, taking a moment to monitor his mood before approaching. She could see from where she stood where his struggling had started to bruise the tan skin. Carefully, she walked over and stood next to the bed head. She smiled sweetly.
"How are we this morning?"
Goku dragged his eyes in her direction and she noted they were terribly bloodshot, and his cheeks were horribly flushed. He remained silent, not knowing how to respond. The needle came, a sharp scratch, she wrote a few things down on her clipboard and left. It was the quietest Chi-chi had ever been, and he thought it ironic that he was missing the loud, screaming wife he had left at home. The woman he loved. His musings were cut short when Piccolo walked in, still dressed in black trousers, black shirt and white coat. His broad shoulders made the coat hang off him. His voice was typically sour.
"I hope you're feeling better" he continued talking whilst he unstrapped the Saiyan.
Goku sat up, rubbing the bruises and feeling the indentations there. His limbs felt unbearable heavy and he cursed internally when he looked up at the window. He thought miserably, I'm probably too big for it anyway. Piccolo seemed to follow his line of sight.
"You've tried before, and you're probably thinking that you're too big for it. You are"
Something about that felt familiar to him, like he had felt the metal bars before, he had fallen from it and as he looked at the Namek, he felt like maybe it was true. Maybe he's not lying. I could have been a prisoner here for a while. The thought felt weak. Why? Why would Piccolo go to all that trouble, fighting Raditz, going to Namek, befriending him. The androids. It didn't make sense. And Chi-chi masquerading as his wife?
No. The line of shit he fed you about being in a coma is actually more believable than that.
"Tell me then...if I have spent most of the time comatose, why am I awake now?"
Piccolo sat carefully in the chair, paisley pink plastic squashing as he sat down.
"Well, it could be that your delusion loses its cohesion or sometimes our treatments work, i'm not always sure. One thing I do know is the key to staying awake lies in the deconstruction of that delusion"
That was a lot of big words for the monosyllabic man he know. Who knew Piccolo could be such a wordy bastard? Well, apart from that time he told the Saiyans about the dragon balls. That was usually story number one at Bulma's parties. Goku felt exposed as he sat there, in what he could only surmise were pyjamas, as he was scrutinised. He humoured the Namek.
"Meaning?"
"It means you need to let go"
"And what if this" he gestured in the air "is the delusion?"
Piccolo shifted and crossed one leg over the other, looking like he was folded up.
"Okay, say it is. So really, you're a superhero, the strongest man on the planet. Fighting with other superheroes to save the Earth from the constant threat of destruction"
Goku did not like the way this was going. Even he didn't think it sounded that plausible, and he had been living it.
"Or, you're a normal man, who six years ago experienced trauma so severe your mind couldn't cope, so it conjured up a delusion where life was an adventure. And suddenly everyone loves you, and you always win"
If Goku's scowl could be any deeper it would be internal. He rubbed his temples as a headache brewed, drug induced, he supposed.
"A normal man, i'm not a Saiyan?"
"There are a lot of aliens here" he paused, before continuing. "There are people that are worried about you"
This made his ears perk up and Piccolo smirked, it made him want to smile too and he violently held it back. Through the intense distrust though, he still felt that Piccolo was his friend.
"And Chi-chi?"
The Namek raised a jade brow at that before realisation seemed to dawn on his face.
"Oh, no, you're not married and...you don't have a son"
That felt like a bullet of unreality that Goku didn't fancy right now. He could see Gohan so easily, his big chocolate brown eyes as he looked up from his arms. It simply wasn't possible that he didn't exist. He couldn't exist if Gohan didn't. Piccolo seemed to see this and tried to explain away the sudden unhappiness.
"A lot of the people in your delusion are people you've met here, and some are just your imagination"
"No, Gohan is real"
This seemed to alarm Piccolo and he shifted forward in his seat.
"No, Goku-" but his words were cut off as he fell backwards, unconscious. Dark, stormy eyes stared after him as his vision faded. The thought swam in his mind. Gohan is real. He knew, in advance this time, that he would open his eyes and be back in his reality. And he was. This time though, Bulma was hovering at his bedside and when she noticed his open eyes she shouted for Piccolo, Chi-chi and the others. He looked around quickly, white walls and the sound of her parents talking outside in the garden made him feel at ease. He realised then, with some urgency, that he needed to stay here. This was his reality. He frowned as a distant memory of another family tugged faintly at his heart and he made every effort to crush the unpleasant sensation. How unwelcome.
Chi-chi was at his bedside in an instant, her small hands grasping both his big ones. Her big eyes were welling up in relief. Piccolo followed her into the room, but kept his distance. The words temporary allies came to mind.
"It's okay Chi" he smiled that famous Son smile, but she didn't return it.
"You've been asleep for days Goku! How is that okay!"
Goku blinked at that, it sounded about right. Only, dreams never really lasted as long as they felt, that's part of what made them feel so unreal when you woke up. He looked over at the Namekian, who was just standing there with arms crossed, fidgeting. It seemed to Goku that the Piccolo had something to say, but for some reason wasn't saying it. He looked at his wife, squeezing her hands.
"Can you give me a minute with Piccolo?"
She scowled so severely Goku thought her brows might merge but she stood and spared the Namek a sour look as she left the room. The door closed and for a minute there was silence. Piccolo's voice eventually started to rumble away.
"There's...something wrong"
Goku knew his strength wasn't raw intelligence, but even he had worked that out. His laugh was nervous.
"Yeah, I figured i'm sick or something"
Piccolo seemed to frown even further.
"It's a little more complicated than that"
Goku noticed something shiny sticking out of his gi collar. He shifted but couldn't get a closer look. Piccolo uncrossed his arms then and he saw it, sitting there looking as real as ever, was that silver ballpoint pen. Goku felt his stomach clench and even though he hadn't eaten in so long, he wanted to vomit. He looked up at Piccolo with serious, accusing eyes.
"You're not real"
Piccolo looked away, confirming it.
"You're...my imagination"
If this wasn't real, then...No.
Piccolo was shouting as he fell back onto the bed, the world once again going dark. A moment or two passed and he could already tell that he wasn't at home any more. The smell of anaesthetic, nurses talking in the hall, other patients shouting. No, his mind corrected, he was home. This was his reality. He stared up at the ceiling with it's mismatching tiles and squeezed his eyes shut as tears started to fall.
The days went by, and slowly, painfully, he started to remember. The most startling memory had been recalling his parents. Parents. An actual mother and father, normal people who lived in a normal house and he, for all accounts, was a normal child. And he was loved. The memory had hit him like a freight train and Piccolo had given him an extra sedative that day. He remembered Chi-chi, he liked her, had fawned after her for six years apparently. For what it was worth, he thought that she liked him too. The floor of his room was hard but he didn't mind it much as he sat with legs crossed, orange fabric trousers and shirt contrasting horribly with the pale tiles. Piccolo opened the door and grunted a greeting as he walked over to the plastic chair with its pink paisley seat cushion. Goku was beginning to hate the sight of it.
The Namek's face and neck were still mottled with bruises and healing cuts from Goku's attack the night before. He winced when he thought of it. Piccolo had leaned in to give Goku his sedative injection and he had kicked the Namek's legs from under him. He had then proceeded to beat him, hard, punching over and over again until two other members of staff came and pulled him away. For some reason, the other man hadn't really fought back.
Piccolo moved the chair so it was facing the Saiyan and sat down, awkwardly. Goku thought it odd that he couldn't seem to sit down in it naturally. Shaking his head, he pushed away thoughts of fakery. He was better off just believing it. He did notice that the Namek seemed to be wearing the same dark trousers and shirt.
"Don't you own any other clothes?"
Piccolo raised a brow and looked down at himself. He smoothed a hand down his chest as if to reassure himself before speaking.
"It's been a week. I was wondering how you feel today"
Goku looked up, and dark, haunted eyes stared straight through him. Piccolo actually seemed to be bothered by it enough to look away.
"Well, I've lowered your dose of sedatives. That should help with the fatigue"
And the aggression, was unsaid. The Saiyan sighed, he knew somewhere deep down that the Namek was trying to help, as bizarre as it felt. I think I preferred you when you were trying to kill me. He watched as Piccolo wrote on his notepad with elegant fingers wrapped around the silver pen. This Piccolo seemed so gentle really, he had a softness to him that was unfamiliar to Goku. He had punched, scratched and bitten the Namek and Piccolo hadn't so much as slapped him back. He felt his heart clench at it. He didn't know if it was because he was trapped in a mental health ward with almost no one else to interact with, or it was because he felt like really he had a friend. He was sure the taller man didn't think of him as such, more as someone he cared about and wanted to help maybe. One among many other patients, he supposed. He wondered about the others but interaction was strictly off limits, in case of a set back apparently. Their screaming and yelling were the only signs of their existence.
"Have you slept?"
Goku gave him another painful glance. Piccolo made another note, sighing a little as he did.
"Do you feel like talking?"
He felt bad, again. Piccolo was trying and here he was, sat on the floor sulking in his all day pyjamas. The Namek seemed to notice and commented.
"It's alright. You're in mourning"
Goku looked up at that, quizzical.
"It's like, the death of your other life. It will take a while to get over it"
He was amazed daily by Piccolo's knowledge and wise words. He still couldn't think of him as a Psychiatrist, images of the surly Namek fighting with him on Namek were still so vivid. He was right though, he was mourning, he was mourning the loss his wife and son. His heart still hurt when he thought of Krillin and Bulma and all their adventures together. It was like waking up to find you were dead only you got to go to your own funeral.
Piccolo retrieved the book he had been holding under the clipboard and to Goku's immense amusement, placed a pair of glasses on his upturned nose. He must have laughed because Piccolo looked down at him in surprise. He opened the book and started to read. Goku's favourite, the one that Chi-chi had bought him the hard cover copy of, or so he had thought before his world came crumbling down. He barely read, and didn't know how to before she taught him so he could read to Gohan. Really, it had been Gohan's favourite. He looked at the title fondly before the sadness rose to the surface. Gohan isn't real.
"Alice's adventures in Wonderland"
Piccolo's deep voice lulled him and he leaned against the wall and close his eyes. Piccolo's rendition was so surreal to listen to, and he seemed shaky at some points, like he wasn't used to reading out loud.
"Curiouser and curiouser!" Cried Alice (she was so much surprised, that for the moment she quite forgot how to speak good English); "now I'm opening out like the largest telescope that ever was! Good-bye, feet!"
The irony was not lost on Goku.
Piccolo read for a while, but eventually he closed the book. His voice had grown hoarse with talking not being his strongest suit. Goku opened his eyes then and finally Piccolo thought they could talk. The book always seemed to work, it was the bridge that connected this world and the one he had spent six years in. The link was so important.
"Do you feel like being here is more real today?
Goku stood up, groaning as he did, and moved to sit on the bed, so that he was closer to the Doctor's height and could look him in the eye.
"Why do you keep asking?"
They were less than a metre apart and from here, he could see the red in Piccolo's eyes, deep though it was. There was so much emotion in them, he hadn't ever seen it before. Maybe I never looked.
"Because, it needs to feel real. Here, or there, wherever feels real is where you will stay"
Goku's voice sounded so much lighter than Piccolo's brooding tones.
"What does it matter? This is real, they...that isn't"
Piccolo shook his head and the Saiyan had a peculiar look on his face. He didn't understand what kind of annoying reverse psychology this was. He peeked down at the notepad whilst the Namek answered, but only managed to catch a few words before it was harshly moved out of his line of sight. He looked up into irritated pupils.
"It's what is real to you that matters. It has to be your choice Goku"
The words he had read were all he was thinking of. Written in handwriting that he was sure wasn't the Namek's:
'Has to choose, can't influence-'
'Subtle hints, don't get c-'
Now that didn't make any sense. Piccolo was giving him a searching glance but he just smiled goofily and wiped any suspicion from his face. The Namek seemed to buy it. He moved a hand through his spiky, unkempt hair for emphasis. An hour later, and after several stop start attempts at conversation, Piccolo left. Goku was looking forward to dinner, bland as it was, as Chi-chi usually took her break joined him for a cup of tea whilst he ate. He perked up as the door opened and a polite young man handed him his tray of food, and a second and third. At least they knew how to feed a Saiyan.
Chi-chi popped her head in, wide brown eyes smiling at him. She had been so cautious at first, saying that he always took a few days to come around when he woke up. He had hit her, apparently, and even though he didn't remember, it made him fight back the urge to vomit. Her white coat was unbuttoned to reveal a black shirt and he realised that it must be the uniform here. Her black trousers were fitted and he thought, becoming, in their 'i'm a professional' way. Truth be told, he thought she was beautiful, but it was the way she held herself, the strength and the softness, that he loved. So i'm in love with her, i'm in love with a Doctor I see occasionally when I wake up every year or so. Great.
She sat down on the pink chair and he was beginning to think it must be the staff seat, because he had never sat in it. Small hands cupped the polystyrene cup as hot steam fluffed above the rim. He was readily swallowing all the food, chewing was a time wasting skill he didn't have. Chi-chi liked to talk to him like this, he was always at his peak of happiness when eating.
"So, how's my hero doing today?"
He smiled at that, sad that it wasn't true, but liking it anyway.
"Fine, I suppose. Just takes some getting used to ya know?"
Painted lips stretched in a smile and she nodded. Hair fell from her up do as she did.
"Oh I know, and sometimes, you think you're there and then…"
She wafted her hand as if to say and then it all goes to hell. He thought that she was totally right. He nodded enthusiastically and pointed a plastic fork at her to punctuate his agreement. Her laughter made his heart swell. He felt bad sometimes, about how he had spent so much time away from home fighting and now he wondered if this was his chance to make up for it. He then dismissed the thought, trainee doctors definitely didn't date patients. Even he who knew nothing, knew that.
"How is your day going?" He pointed his fork again.
"Ha! I've been here for twelve hours already but still the jolly green giant is barking orders"
That sounds like the Piccolo I know. And as soon as he thought it, it seemed odd. If this Piccolo was that way out, he'd be yelling at him too. He pushed the thought away, he felt that he didn't understand anything anymore. She finished her tea and stood, offering him a kind smile before bidding him good night. It was only seven o'clock, but patients were early to bed and early up in the house of Piccolo. He knew he would see the Namekian again before the night was over though, now that man seemed to work all day and all night. He had asked Chi-chi about it and she just shrugged and said 'Nameks don't sleep much' before forcing pills into his mouth.
He went to his little sink and splashed some water on his face. He wasn't deemed much of a danger to himself at this point, and was allowed a small en suite to his room. It was simple, but he was grateful for it, all except the mirror which was encased in some kind of clear 'don't hurt yourself' plastic.
The man looking back at him was a ghost. Not the muscular hero he was, no, moderate size, dark circles under his eyes and unruly dark hair spiking everywhere. The orange outfit made him look paler than he really was. He sighed as he looked at his arms, being a Saiyan here didn't mean you were exceptionally strong, just maybe slightly stronger than a strong human. No tail, no Oozaru. An insatiable appetite and a good sense of smell, fantastic.
Piccolo had entered the room with a knock, even though the door was open. It was always open. He wasn't a prisoner in the room as such, but the hallway led to two locked doors on either side of the corridor, so he didn't venture out much. He had tried, unsuccessfully, to escape twice already. Nameks apparently still had a lot of their strength and Goku couldn't help but feel a bit petulant about it.
"Sight for sore eyes?"
Piccolo was leaning against the wall, arms crossed. He was in one of his better moods, Goku noticed. He also noted that the clipboard was being held tighter to his chest than a newborn baby.
"You could say that"
"Well, you're doing fine, so don't be hard on yourself"
Goku smirked and patted Piccolo on the upper arm as he went by, he felt the Namek stiffen. Of course, this might be the kind, 'i'm helping people' version of Piccolo but he was still as antisocial as ever. Instead of fighting all day, every day, he just worked instead.
"I'll try but no promises." He yawned and cast the Namek a weary glance.
Piccolo flashed a very brief, barely there smile, fangs slipping from underneath his upper lip. Goku had always thought he looked like one of the little dragons that Gohan had liked so much, not that he would ever mention it to the surly creature. Piccolo went to the door, offering him a nod goodnight before closing it behind him. Goku heard something then, and he immediately went to the door and pressed his ear to it like a child. Cursing, he scooped his hair out of the way. He could only hear the odd word, but it was definitely Chi-chi talking to Piccolo.
"We don't have much time"
"I know that." Goku could hear Piccolo snarling.
He could almost see the worry in Chi-chi's features.
"We're losing him"
Piccolo spoke softly this time.
"I know"
That's all folks. Part two coming up!