Gohan buried his face deeper into the pillow as he slowly woke. He was too comfortable and didn't want to leave the peace of sleep so soon, but an annoyed and dragged out sigh told him he should.
"Finally." Piccolo grumbled. "You're awake."
Gohan kept his eyes closed as if to hope he could still succumb to sleep. A small smirk quirked on his lips, hidden into the pillow. "Mmmm… You sound so irritated when you were the one who told me to rest."
"Yes but do you realize how clingy you are in your sleep?" Piccolo asked.
"Hmmm?" Gohan pushed himself up slightly with his elbows and peeked to see his pillow had been pressed into Piccolo's lap. His nose damn near pressed to the purple shirt over Piccolo's chest, his own arms wrapped around the shaped waist, and elbows now propped on thighs. Gohan gulped as his eyes widened. He tried to sit up as fast as possible, shaking slightly as he had to push himself off of Piccolo. Oh gods, what a position to wake up in! If he doesn't kill me, I might die just from shame! He pretended to rub sleep from his eyes to cover his now reddened face. "S-sorry, you could have kicked me off."
"I tried." Piccolo huffed weakly as his annoyed presence diminished. His eyes shifted slightly to the side, forcing a stray thought to the void in the back of his mind. "You haven't changed."
"Huh?" Gohan turned to Piccolo, confused.
"You used to always beg to sit in my lap. Sometimes it was the only way to get you to shut up and sleep." Piccolo said. "Practically impossible to fight you off then too."
Gohan blushed. Inside he began to feel a little unusual. How often was it that the person you were having feelings for could remember things you did as a child? He had heard of couples with quite an age gap but it felt like another reason that he shouldn't feel for Piccolo this way. He looked to the window unable to find something to say. The sky was bright with full sun. "It's well into the day, how long did I sleep? Don't you have to work today?"
"I don't have to work no. The shop was always just a way to spend time and as owner I can choose when to close and when to open." Piccolo explained. His tone was soft at the next note. "You were just attacked last night Gohan. I had said I wasn't going to leave you alone, so I haven't."
Gohan's heart lightened. How can it feel inappropriate to love him and yet impossible not to at the same moment? "Do you know if my father's been told yet about last night?"
"He has. Kami's been keeping me informed all day." Piccolo answered. "The other fighters have been searching through and around town but no one's matched the description you gave yet. Your brother was brought back to Bulma early. Goku's been staying away from you, him, and Chichi so that neither of you are targeted. He's been running his own search, using himself as bait."
Gohan sighed. "I know he's strong but I'm still worried."
"It's fine to be worried young Gohan." Kami spoke up from the door. "But your father has fought many foe and none have defeated him yet. As long as he still fights, I am confident everything will be fine."
"Kami, thank you for your help." Gohan straightened and bowed his head slightly.
Kami nodded smiling kindly. "I'm glad to see you better, though I'm a bit surprised you needed rest for so long. The senzu is instantaneous."
"It is?" Gohan looked to Piccolo.
"I wasn't sure how well it would work for someone who wasn't conscious." Piccolo explained as he closed his eyes. His posture had stiffened at Kami's presence. "You couldn't even properly chew it let alone swallow so I wasn't confident it would work completely if at all."
"That is fair logic." Gohan smiled, trying not to imagine what he looked like being force fed a bean.
"The others have asked for you to help the search Piccolo. If a fight arises, they will need your strength." Kami said. "Goku and I also agree that it might be safer for Gohan at home with his mother."
"It is just outside of town. I'll be out of the way." Gohan stated.
Piccolo huffed. "I'll take you home then."
Gohan knew better than to suggest otherwise and nodded. Piccolo handed him his vest. He waited patiently as Gohan dressed and combed his hair with his fingers. The walk was brisk and quiet. Presently, they were already approaching the front door.
He turned to Piccolo. "Stay safe."
Piccolo's brows scrunched. "You are the one who needs to be safe after last night."
"I will be. Sitting here at home on the sidelines, I couldn't be safer." Gohan said. "But you're heading out to help the others. If you run into them, I hope your safety will be priority as I'm sure you would ask of me."
Piccolo softened in acknowledgment that Gohan was right. "If anything happens at all, tell me."
"I will." Gohan promised. He watched Piccolo ascend and fly off back towards town. Stepping inside the house, he could instantly hear his mother's bustling footsteps through the house as the large doors creaked closed behind him. He stood waiting for her.
Appearing in the hall and spotting her son, Chichi ran to him. She looked over him for any signs of damage. "Oh thank goodness! Are you alright? Sore? Hungry?"
"I'm fine. Piccolo and Kami took very good care of me." Gohan grabbed her hands and held them close to calm her. "I've never felt better honestly, the senzu did wonders on my health. Also no, I'm not hungry, though I'm not sure I ate at all today."
Chichi sighed with a smile. "If they gave you a senzu, then you won't be hungry for a few days. Maybe by dinnertime if you're like your father."
"Why? Piccolo only said it healed wounds and restored energy." Gohan asked.
"And how does one restore energy?" Chichi stood straight as she poised the question like the lessons she gave Gohan when he was younger.
"Rest and food." Gohan answered easily. "Oh there must be a huge caloric intake when you eat the bean. That can't be good for the body though. All at once?"
Chichi grinned. "It is a special technique that even the guardian of earth doesn't possess."
"That is fair logic, and I'm sure there are very good reasons not to teach it to anyone else and spread this skill around the world but it's so very useful." Gohan said.
"Now come rest." Chichi pulled on Gohan's elbow.
"Honestly I'd love to do anything but. I have slept through the night and all of today. My head won't stop looming over everything going on." Gohan looked to the floor a moment as he considered something. "I think I'll train instead. I need to get strong enough so it doesn't happen again."
Chichi frowned and sighed. She began walking down the hall beside Gohan. "I almost knew you would say that. Do you remember any proper sets?"
"I remember part of the ones dad would run with me when I was younger, but I don't know any of his actual sets and … well trying to remember Piccolo's training is-" Gohan started before he was interrupted.
"Say no more. I can't imagine his techniques are all that enjoyable to recall. I shall teach you my techniques then." Chichi declared as she lead Gohan through the house towards the far back garden outside.
"That's not what I was going to- You have fighting techniques?!" Gohan stared at his mother.
"Yes, I was once a fighter. I needed to learn some self-defense as an only child living with just my father. Then I was properly inspired after I met Goku. After we got married I settled down as a house wife and mother." Chichi explained, a dreamy smile on her face. "Compared to your father, I don't measure up. He was always more fun and martial arts was so important to him I knew he was going to share it with you. So I stepped away from fighting and focused on teaching you and your brother other practical skills."
They soon reached Goku's designated training area and stood at opposing sides. Chichi removed her main gown, petticoats, and stays, keeping to her stockings and chemise. Gohan smirked as the many heavy layers reminded him of the weights his father kept in his old gi and now slips into any pocket or seam he can find on his pants and shirt. "There, now I'm not weighed down. What do you want to focus on first? After we warm up we can focus on bolstering your strength or your reflexes?"
Gohan couldn't stop the smile. It was refreshing to have his mother train him rather than bury him in books. "I think balancing between everything would be best. I'm too unpracticed and lacking in it all. I trust after seeing me in action, you'll know how to help me improve."
Chichi almost glowed with genuine happiness. "That's all I ever want, Gohan. To help you improve."
Piccolo stepped down into an alley. The one he had found Gohan in the night before. His blood turned cold at the memories of seeing Gohan so broken and still. The sensation of Gohan so limp in his arms still too fresh. He looked around at the area, searching for anything missed. The slightly cracked wall, a small kerchief fallen from Gohan's pocket, nothing to suggest where the twins had gone or even anything dropped to identify them further. He felt a ki source approach behind him, though he didn't bother turning knowing who it was.
A man dressed in a loose simple shirt and brown pants. His long hair was combed lazily back from his scarred face. His arms were crossed over his chest as he watched Piccolo. "Thanks for coming to help. We've already searched here though."
Another man joined them wearing a uniquely designed tang suit. He stood tall with shoulders back, his head shaven and a third eye on his forehead. "Yamcha, let him look here as much as he wants."
"Right… sorry." Yamcha nodded and glanced away.
At this moment Piccolo turned. "Did you find anything?"
"No. Tien and I have been in town the entire time and nothing even close has come up about them. Krillin and Goku are still circling around at near full power but they're not taking the bait." Yamcha answered. "Bulma's been keeping all lines open and researching all newspapers to see if they might have attacked in other towns. They just vanished."
"No one just vanishes without good reason." Piccolo replied.
"You think they're planning something? Surprise attack maybe?" Tien asked.
"We can't sense them. It's possible they've been able to watch us from a distance, seeing where we take Gohan, our locations and search patterns. Taking their time to learn everything about us before making another attack." Piccolo suggested.
"Oh no." Tien sighed, his eyes narrowed at the thought.
"So we have no advantage?!" Yamcha clenched his hands into fists.
"Currently it appears that way." Piccolo said.
"What should we do then? You were with Gohan, did he remember anything else? You can see into his head right?" Tien inquired.
"I'm not going to do that without his permission, especially right after he nearly died." Piccolo argued, his body tensing. Of course he knew the option was there, but he already felt guilty for peeking into Gohan's memory. Gohan deserved more privacy than that.
"Nothing stopped you when he was a kid." Yamcha stated.
"I've only done it when I was concerned about his mental stability. You saw what happened to him!" Piccolo glared heavily at Yamcha.
"Ask him then, if he'd be comfortable with it. If just one of us could get an idea what they truly look like, we would have better luck spotting them. It's very possible we've passed over them." Tien said.
Piccolo took a deep breath and nodded. "I'll ask next time I see him. Until then take a break, I'll search the town myself for now. Try not to go anywhere important."
"Right." Yamcha said before walking back out to the main road with Tien behind him.