A Special Training XXI
Disclaimer: The copyrighted
characters in this story do not belong to me, and I make no money off of this
whatsoever.
There
is a part of the night, were it seems like the morning will never come and that
you have been awake forever, where everything and anything presents itself to
be thought about.
Piccolo
didn't know why he was there, right then, curled around his lover, nose buried
in her hair. Thoughts were tumbling through this mind too fast for sense to be
made, and a part of his mind was asleep still, the part that usually would have
kept such thoughts away.
Right
now, he was thinking about names. He had been named after his father, but what
if this child wasn't a boy? Although, 'Piccolo' could serve as a girl's name,
maybe…
He
inhaled deeply, pulling in much of her scent, he sighed as he let the breath
go, disturbing the golden strands. Warm, tinged with shampoo, sweat and
herself, he thought, looking at the cherubic expression on her face. She was
sleeping so peacefully, so trustingly. Did he deserve that, or the child?
Kissing
her cheek, he felt her stir against him, and her deep blue eyes opened, and
fixed on his dark ones.
"What
are you doing awake?" she asked, her voice thick with sleep.
"Thinking."
"About?"
"Names."
"Ah,
I was wondering about that, too. I have a family tradition about naming the kid
Serenity, but that wouldn't work if it was a boy… Although, I have to worn you,
having girls first is another tradition."
Piccolo
quirked an antenna. "If it's a girl, we name her Serenity, a boy, we name him
Piccolo," he suggested, and he felt her nod, more than saw it.
"Okay,
but she'll need a nickname. Can't be Serenity too much, drive her nuts."
Piccolo
smiled despite himself. Other thoughts and fears surfaced, ones that again, hid
themselves during the day.
"How
are we going to take care of him, or her?"
"Depends
on nature," she said, still on the edge of sleep. "If she is more Namek, she
starts training immediately. Not, we see."
"You're
taking this so calmly."
"No,
never, just three a.m."
"Ah."
He
could tell she was going back to sleep, and held her more tightly, she rolled
over, and he felt her kiss his chest. He dragged her on top of him, where she
curled like a kitten, safe.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Usagi
didn't go back to sleep as immediately as Piccolo thought, as she listened to
his heartbeat, ear pressed to his chest. His heart was lower than on a human,
but it was so strong it could be heard throughout his body.
He
heaved a sigh, as he fell back into dreams, and she was almost tossed in the
air with the force.
His
skin always reminded her of velvet, she thought. It was wonderful to touch; her
fingers couldn't get enough of it. Her hand drifted down, and she touched her
own belly.
Was
it even more swollen?
Tears
pricked her eyes, and she could already feel something for the child. It was
this wonderful, strange, beautiful person inside her, one that would be
different than anyone else. It was scary, and it was wonderful.
Piccolo,
she could tell, was already caring for their child. She could also tell,
whatever it would be, would be a real Papa's girl or boy.
Giggling
quietly to herself, she wondered why she hadn't done something with Piccolo
years before. He was handsome, chiseled, quiet strength…
He
was also her best friend.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Piccolo's
mind was walking down the paths of what might have been, before he crossed into
dreams. The thought of what if he hadn't been male, what if he hadn't met
Usagi, and the strange idea of what a female Namek would look like, all blurred
and twisted in his thoughts…
~He
had just reached his full height, but his muscles hadn't filled out yet...
Guided by his father's last thought of rage and anger towards Son Goku, he
trained insanely, using the training methods embedded in his mind, his father's
gift to him, and himself, to get revenge.
He
had been running, getting his stamina up, when he hit a strange sandy place.
His father's memories of anything other than fighting were vague, so all he
thought of was that it was sandy. It was next to water, a lot of water, and it
smelled strangely.
Not
thinking much about it, he kept running, and realized he was thirsty.
Easily
solved; with all this water here, he could train here for a long time.
Running
to the edge, he scooped his hands into the waters, reveling in the cool, and
brought it too his lips.
The
taste was funny too. Still, water was water, and he swallowed, starting his jog
back-
About
half way there, he started throwing up. The memories he had been given shifted
to his conscious mind, and he realized he had just poisoned himself. Laughing
bitterly, he knew he had just sentenced himself to die, without realizing it.
He had dehydrated himself, what with his training, and not being able to get to
fresh water. The extra salts had dried him out. Funny, he was the strongest- or
would be the strongest, being on his planet, and his own foolishness had killed
him. Asking for help was useless. There was no one there, and they would kill
him the moment they saw him, anyway.
Crying
would only waste moisture, which he was running out of, rapidly.
His
eyes shut.
Then
a shadow fell across him, and he looked up, to see a face that was- like his?
Strong
arms picked him up, and he was flying, before he could say anything. Water,
blessed, cool, sweet fresh water, was being poured into his mouth, and he
swallowed eagerly.
His
eyes opened long enough to see Prussian blue eyes, skin a paler green than his,
with a folded bandanna tied across her (?) forehead. Dark gold hair cascaded
down her shoulders, out of a long white cloak, with a hood pulled over her
head, casting her face in shadow.
Then
he woke up alone, next to a spring, and assumed he had dreamed the whole thing.
~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Piccolo
woke, wondering why he was suddenly remembering that dream, in another dream.
Snuggling
against Usagi again, she was an active sleeper; he wondered why that person
looked like Usagi.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Trunks
yawned, wishing he could have gotten more sleep. He had been awakened every
five minutes, or so it seemed with either Minako or Makoto telling him they had
a bad dream, and could they share his bed?
He
griped to himself, using several word the girls would have blanched to hear,
and went to get the two lovebirds so that they could start training. The scene
he walked in on was cute, if a little embarrassing.
Neither
had on any clothes, and Piccolo was spooning around Usagi, his chin resting on
her head, while she hugged his arms to her chest. They were covered in a thin
sheet.
Clearing
his throat, he woke them, and saw them both blush. Seeing them awake, he headed
to the kitchen hoping to meet Ami. They had been discussing various uses of ki,
and he had enjoyed seeing the enthusiasm that lit her face whenever she started
talking. She had a very expressive face, one that just loved to teach, to
explain, and to light up with joy when learning…
Not
noticing the turn his thoughts were taking, a bemused Trunks walked back
towards the kitchen, still thinking nice things about Ami…
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Piccolo
found that he still had to goad Usagi into eating. Food just didn't interest
her. There must have been something chemical triggering that; he remembered her
eating contests with Goku.
They
walked into the kitchen, Usagi was starting to waddle, a little, and Piccolo
with his usual grace.
Bulma
was cooking with the help of Makoto, who was doing a good job, and Minako, who
was not. Haruka immediately took her by one arm, and Ami got the other, and
they steered her to a particular place setting. Usagi ogled.
It
was piled high with omelets. There were all sorts of juices beside it, and
fruits, and several containers of pills, with various Vitamin labels.
"Is
this everyone's breakfast?" she asked weakly, and when no one answered, except
to try to plunk her down in the chair, she spread her hands helplessly.
"I
CAN'T EAT ALL THAT!"
"You
can, and you will," said Bulma, looking at her sternly. "You are deficient in
lots of what you and your baby needs, from the tests Ami took. The protein is
for the developing fetus, and the minerals will go to the shell. We're not
going to dissolve it yet, because we don't know what the effect will be. Since
Nameks hatch on contact with air, we figure during labor would be the best
time. We're working on something so that the minerals will be reabsorbed by
your body."
"I
wonder if she really is the Usagi we knew," said Minako, jokingly. Gohan chuckled.
"You're
right, I remember her eating more than my Dad."
Usagi
sighed, and started into the huge mound of food. She felt guilty about eating
all of that, considering how bad things were.
Chewing,
and trying to talk, she asked Trunks," So, when do we go against the Androids?"
Suddenly,
she was being glared at by everyone in the room.
"Usagi,"
Trunks said, in a calm, be-nice-to-the-insane-pregnant-lady voice, "YOU ARE NOT
GOING TO FIGHT THE ANDROIDS! With Piccolo and Gohan, we shouldn't have any trouble!
DO YOU UNDERSTAND ME?"
Usagi
swallowed her bite, and sighed. "I still want to help."
"Fine,
you can help Mom. Just keep from getting hurt!"
Usagi
looked around the room for support, but all she got were nods at what Trunks
was saying.
Finishing,
Usagi scowled, got up, and stomped off.
"I
think she's mad."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
They
have a point.
The
Androids can't hurt you.
They
will be destroyed if you intervene or not.
They
must be punished!
These thoughts raced through
Usagi's mind as she flew rapidly away from Capsule Corporation, and wished she
knew what to think.
Increasing
her speed, she took in the damage that had been done to this world.
Rage
burned along her veins. She didn't care about what Trunks, or even Piccolo,
said. She would punish those beasts.
Now.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
"MOON ECLIPSED, MAKE-UP!"
"You
feel that?" asked Trunks, seeing Piccolo suddenly jerk, stopping in mid-kick.
They
had felt a sudden energy increase when they had started sparring. Piccolo may
not have been as powerful as a level 2 SSJ, but his power was close, and he was
a better strategist. Piccolo was mad that they had let Usagi run off by
herself, while the girls all assured him that this was something she usually
did to let off steam.
He
hadn't known that. When the Usagi he knew let off steam, it involved violence
to 'bad people.'
Which
was what he suspected was going on.
Piccolo
let out a truly impressive string of curses, blistering the air around him.
Trunks paused to listen, then yelled for help.
Out
rushed Gohan, and the Sailors. They were already morphing. The thunderous cry
of "MAKE-UP" seemed to rattle the foundations.
"No,
there is no way I am taking you all!" said Trunks, who saw them all as a
liability. Too late.
"I've
located her," said Ami, and Pluto nodded, and created a portal. The girls
stepped through.
"Ah,
KUSO!" yelled Trunks, as they disappeared, the portal shutting behind them,
before he could step through.
"We
can still sense her," said Piccolo, and he was gone.
"We
get clean up," said Gohan, going SSJ. Trunks did the same, and they left.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Juunana
looked at the destruction he had wrought.
Sadly,
stuff like this was getting more and more boring. It was sad that there were so
few humans left to play with…
"You
are so rough with your toys, Juunana," said Juuhachigou, face bland and bored
as always. There was nothing there, no humor, and no life, just boredom.
"Yes,
I had better be more careful, they die so easily…" he sighed, and absently
aimed behind him to kill the one that almost got away, a wounded child, who had
lost his family-
When
it was deflected back at him.
"What?"
he asked, and turned with Juuhachi to see what this new nuisance was.
"Well,
this one is more colorful than some that I remember," said Juuhachi, amusement
starting to color her tone.
The
warrior stood between them and the boy, and was looking at the dead and dying
in the area with blood red, maniacal eyes.
"Moon
Healing Escalation," she whispered, bringing those that had been wounded beyond
hope back from the brink, and the newly dead back to life and health.
"You,
you just ruined all our fun!" said Juuhachi, surprised.
Juunana
smirked. "I guess we get to kill them all over again. Thank you, Miss..?"
"I
will kill you," she said quietly, and launched into an attack, her sword
slashing up, catching Juunana in the thigh, and cutting his hamstring.
"What?
How? I am the strongest fighter," he said in a choked whisper. Juuhachi
attacked, and was blocked by a fist to her face before she got there.
"For
the evils you have done, the deaths, you will be called to account for. I am
the Child of the Blood Moon, the harbinger of your end."
Juunana
couldn't believe how deeply that cut had gone. He didn't think there were any
materials on earth that could wound him! Growling, he aimed an energy blast at
the humans that were still running away, but was blocked by that girl, who was
suddenly between them and him.
"So,
you want to protect the humans? Why?"
She
said nothing else, just looked at him with those unnerving red eyes.
"You
can't save them all," whispered Juuhachi, sinisterly.
Then,
she and Juunana flew off in opposite directions.
"NO!"
she screamed, as a portal suddenly opened, and the Senshi emerged.
"Who
are you?" they asked, shocked.
"I
am the Eclipse," she answered in the frighteningly quiet voice. Turning, she
flew into the air, the turned again.
"Help
the people still here, they are in need of it."
A
scant second after she left, Piccolo arrived, and on his heels were Trunks and
Gohan. They stared the recently resurrected people. The only person they knew
of who could do that was either the Eternal Dragon, or-
"Usagi
did this."
"No,
she wasn't here, the Mercury computer must have malfunctioned," said Mercury,
her visor on and again tapping keys.
"We
saw some chick with black and white hair fly off, though," added Makoto,
cracking her knuckles. Trunks paled.
"That
was Usagi, she was using her Eclipse transformation," said Piccolo, and
heard several gasps from the Outers.
"Eclipse?"
echoed from the Inners, who had never heard of it.
"It
was something that had been forgotten, for the most part, the Warrior aspect of
the White Moon family," said Pluto, calmly, although her eyes were
strained. "It was thought to be
uncontrollable."
"Usagi
managed it," Piccolo said, his voice betraying his pride in her.
Gohan
nodded. "Using it, she technically defeated Cell, when he decided to use his
self detonation. He was going to take everyone with him. Then, Eclipse grabbed
him, and teleported away."
"How
did she learn to control it?" asked Haruka, curiously. "The myths said it
couldn't be done."
Setsuna
suddenly smiled. "When someone she loves is in danger, we already have seen
that Usagi can to amazing things," she said wisely, and looked at Piccolo.
Piccolo
wanted to flinch when all those eyes landed on him. "When we were training in
the Room of Spirit and Time, we had maybe a day left, and she said she would
die trying to control it. I used a scatter shot, let her think they were going
at her, then directed them at myself."
"And
Usagi used her powers to save you," said Minako, grinning.
"You
didn't tell me that," said Gohan, annoyed.
"It
was personal," Piccolo replied. "We need to find her, right now!" Piccolo took
off, following the sense of her in his mind.
Pluto
opened a portal, and the others followed, wondering what was happening to their
princess.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~**~~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Eclipse
had cornered Juuhachigou in a canyon, a couple hundred miles from where they
started.
"You
will die," she said again, looking into the Android's face. There was real fear
there, now.
"NO!"
she yelled back, and Eclipse blocked casually.
"Is
this the best you can do?" she laughed coldly.
Juuhachigou
was about to answer, when "MOON TWILIGHT FLASH!"
The
female android's body flew apart into pieces.
Eclipse
was shaking, her eyes focused on the dead creature in front of her. They
widened, and a strange feeling traveled down her spine.
She
threw her head back, and began to laugh.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Piccolo
was not having any luck finding Usagi. Apparently, she was masking her ki-
although why, he had no idea.
Though,
he did find-
"Juunanagou,"
he stated, voice dripping venom.
He
had gone through with this promise, and was trying to kill as many humans as
possible.
"YOU?"
exclaimed Juunanagou, shocked. "I KILLED you."
"So
you did. Some things just don't stay that way."
"WHAT?"
Piccolo
launched into an attack, using his Masenko.
Deflecting
that, he was unprepared for Piccolo's second attack, a fist.
"How?
How are you doing this? I am the strongest fighter ever! No flesh creature
should be able to do this!"
They
attacked each other full force, fists and feet blurring with the occasion
energy attack.
Piccolo
saw an opening-
He
took it, and kneed the Android in the gut. Blood, or something like it, gushed
from his mouth.
"You
are an abomination. I know that you are as much a victim of Dr. Gero as anyone
that you have killed, but it is too late for you now. You are too stained with
blood."
Piccolo
raised his hand to deliver the coup de grace, when his wrist was grabbed.
Turning to see what it was, he gasped:
"YOU!"
To be continued!