A/N: I take no credit for the following lyrics. "Something" is under the copyright of Lasgo. And now to the story!

Things Just Got Worse

25 Minutes Later.......

I'm standing on a patch of grass...... the same patch of grass I died on 23 years ago...... I can't even believe it! I'm really back here! I closed my eyes and indulged in the wind's desire to blow my short hair around my face. Life. I could practically smell it! The fresh grass, the crisp breeze, I could even smell water nearby!

I reached down and dug my hands deep down into the earth, feeling the grass blades snap and give way to wet, fertile soil below. It was real, like me. I was just as real as the earth.

It was just too much to even believe; so, I threw myself down and ran my hands over the green blades, letting each one tickle my skin before I rested my head on my folded arms. Before I knew it, I was lulled to sleep by the warm, intoxicating sun's rays.

*I don't wanna say I'm sorry, Cuz I know there's nothing wrong.......*

When my eyes opened a little while later, I was met with a pair of onyx eyes staring deeply into mine. It..... Was it really..........

"PICCOLO!" I screamed as I threw my arms around his neck...... only....... his neck was much thinner than I remembered it being.......

I pulled away to see a pint-sized Piccolo looking at me with wide, terrified onyx orbs.

"Uh...... Oops...... You're not Piccolo are you, Squirt?"

The little light green-skinned boy gulped, his tiny Adam's Apple bobbing up and then down, and shook his head.

"You look a lot like Dende! Are you the Earth's new guardian?"

The boy just stood there, a little dribble of drool trickling out of the corner of his fleshy parted lips. He was so freakin' adorable! I'd hug him again if I knew it wouldn't scare him...... I made a real impression on the poor boy by calling him Piccolo and hugging him! Thank God I realized my error! What if I'd kissed him?!

I started laughing at my own thoughts and the boy took a step back.

*Don't be afraid, There's no need to worry......*

"Hey," I giggled, "don't be so scared. I'm a good friend of your father."

"T.... Tousan?" he squeaked in a helium pitched voice.

"Yeah! I used to hang around the Tenkai all the time when I was here on Earth!"

The boy's eyes got huge and he sat down in the grass so fast that his little bottom bounced up before settling down again, "Yous a alien too?" he rocked back and forth, hugging his tiny legs with his short chubby hands. Oh, I coulda squeezed the little sweetie!

"No, not an alien. I died."

*Cuz my feelings for you are still strong......*

The boy flopped onto his back with an expression of absolute amazement on his green face, "Dead? Da dragon brought yous back?"

"No. I was in the afterlife, working off my sins."

"Yous was a bad people?"

"Not bad really, I just had some cleaning up to do in the other world."

The boy scrunched his face up in disgust, "I hate cleanin'! Always, 'Flute, clean da toys!' 'Flute, wipe ya mouth!'........."

He'd totally missed my point as he continued to spout off his list of "Things I Hate" but it was too cute to resist; he was the first person I'd encountered since I was brought back to life and I was thankful enough for the interaction. Plus, he was the son of Dende! Dende had gone and reproduced a son and the boy was adorable!

"....... an' I hate cats! An' I hate bats! An' I hate wats!--"

"'Wats'?" I parroted back; what the hell was a "wat"?

"A wat! A fing wif a furry body an' a long, snaky tail! Ew! Wats! I hate wats! Hate! Hate! HATE WATS!" his voice cracked on the last exclamation and I smiled in response.

Aw...... He meant to say "rats" but pronounced it "wats"....... I couldn't help it! I had to hold this little cutie! So, I reached over and tickled his little soft belly. To my surprise, he doubled over in hysterics!

"Oh no! Not da tickles! Not da tickles! Theys tickle!!!!" he shrieked as he tried to squirm away from me. He was so cute! He looked like a little green worm wriggling around on the ground below my devious hands.

"FLUTE!" a loud voice interrupted out silly game and I recognized it as Dende at first.

"DENDE!" I shot my head up, eyes squeezed shut due to the huge grin I had plastered on my face....... it kinda hurt to be honest; I haven't smiled like that in FOREVER!

When I didn't get a response, I opened my eyes....... There before me stood an older Namek with the frame of a warrior who'd fought too many battles in his past. His muscles still held their original form even if they were a little less defined...... but the man before me sure as Hell wasn't Dende......

"P..... Piccolo......" I felt my heart start racing.......

*Hold me in your arms, And never let me go, Hold me in your arms, Cuz I need you so.......*

"C.... Cat?" his eyes were wider than little Flute's had been when I'd hugged him.

I stood up immediately and walked over to him; his eyes followed my every step and I felt joy flow through me like the adrenaline rush you get right before you tell your crush you like him for the first time.

"Oh my God.... Piccolo!" I threw my arms around him and buried my face into the front of his purple gi top. He still wore the same outfit? He'd always been a creature of habit and constancy was exactly what I needed right now........ more than anything. I wanted things to be the same as much as they could be.......

And he still smelled the same! The same musky, outdoorsy scent of his built frame still clung to him. I was drowning in his natural perfume when I realized something was missing.......

I pulled away and looked him over...... his hands were at his sides....... they hadn't been around me. Maybe he's just in shock.

"Cat, you were in Retraining?"

"Yeah..... Did you guys try to wish me back or something?" I looked at him with pained eyes...... death wasn't a fun topic of conversation for me......

"We did..... but the dragon, Shen-ron, said you couldn't come back because Lord Enma had demanded your soul to attend some kind of Redemption classes...... He said he had no idea how long you'd be gone for...... that it was Enma's decision. I waited...... for so long....... and you never came," his eyes held a sadness as deep as his obsidian irises. It was bottomless......

"I just got back today," I forced a smile. Wanting to change the subject, I smirked at Flute, "Dende's got a cutie for a son."

Piccolo just stared at me.

"Piccolo?"

*I can see it in your eyes, There's something, Something you wanna tell me.......*

His eyes cast downward to Flute, several small wrinkles becoming more noticeable than before....... Piccolo had aged.

"Flute, you're wanted inside," Piccolo watched the little tot scramble to his feet and waddle into the forest.

"Piccolo?" my heart was starting to pound..... sending out a telegraphic warning to me in its own Morse Code; however, I didn't want to listen...... Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum.......

*I see it in your eyes, There's something, That you hide from me......*

"Cat, it's been so long since Naku killed you....."

"Naku......" I remembered that bastard's face better than his name! That motherfucker! Was he still alive? I felt my blood rush in my ears as an image of his face appeared in my mind...... I'd kill the little fucker if I got my hands on him and gladly return to retraining if it meant I'd be avenged!

"I was so devastated when I found your body......."

I saw the lines on Piccolo's face bunch together as he recalled the horrible memory, "You...... just lying there..... dead. And what was worse....... adding insult to injury...... Lord Enma wouldn't let you come back...... after all we'd been through together; after all the help I'd given you, you couldn't return to your newly stabilized life....."

*Is there a reason why, There's something, Something you wanna tell me?*

"Cat..... a lot of time has passed since then....."

I nodded in agreement..... Man, he had no idea how much time had passed for me.

"Life has gotten a bit easier...... there are times when I still think of you and feel the pain return..... Chichi lost Goku that year you died...... he didn't want to be wished back after the Cell Games....... You weren't there for that mess......"

*I see it in your eyes, There's something, That you hide from me......*

"But after that battle, Chichi was left alone to raise Gohan and deliver her son Goten by herself..... Goku had slept with his wife the night before the Games and gotten her pregnant. The bastard didn't even say goodbye to his wife before he left all of us again!" I saw a flame flicker in the Namek's eyes and could tell this anger had been there for a long time...... buried deep down, where no one else could see.

"So," he continued, "I decided to stay and help the Son family out. Gohan was crushed and needed emotional support and a father-figure to look up to and Chichi wouldn't have been able to do much around the house while her pregnancy reached its full term; so, I moved in with them."

*I don't wanna say I'm sorry, Cuz I know there's nothing wrong....... Don't be afraid, There's no need to worry...... Cuz my feelings for you are still strong.......*

Wait a minute...... What's he getting at? Why is he so nervous? If he squeezes his fists any tighter his claws will draw blood from his palms...... Why do I feel like throwing up?!

*Hold me in your arms........*

"From there, Chichi, Gohan, and I learned to heal...... together. I remember staying up for nights on end just talking to Chichi about how much I missed you...... Your death tore me apart, kid. I quit fighting after that night."

Oh my God....... Fighting was Piccolo's life! It was what made him burn for life! How could he give that up?! And why does my stomach twist every time he mentions ol' Chi?

*Hold me in your arms, And never let me go, Hold me in your arms, Cuz I need you so.......*

"Haven't fought since......" he bit his lower lip..... holding something.... something vital back.

"Piccolo, what are you getting at? You're really good at dancing around your point."

*I can see it in your eyes.......*

"That boy, Flute, that you saw....... is my son. I created him."

I smiled, feeling much more relieved, "Gosh Pic, scare the crap out of me why doncha? So, you made someone to keep you company! That's great! I love the little sprite!---"

*There's something......*

Something in his dark eyes stopped my babbling...... I watched his mouth with some unknown fear......

"Cat......" he sighed deeply, "I'm married."

A/N: Little twist there, eh? Hope it wasn't too obvious! Review, mis amigos! Review!