Day 50…
Piccolo hovered off the ground in his meditative position twenty feet from the platform. He'd decided not long after Tessa's departure from him two days ago that this was a safe enough distance to be observant without encroaching upon her privacy.
He had busied himself with mediation and multi-form sparing sessions, though they didn't compare to actual combat with someone else. He'd also spent quite a bit of time condemning his actions, second guessing entering her mind and that damned kiss. He realized regretfully that undoubtedly his disguise as Nail that had broken their friendship into near unrepairable pieces. That thought had taken hours of mediation to get past and before he realized nearly two days had passed by.
It had 42 hours since he had invaded her mind, and in that time, she hadn't spoken a word to him. Hell, Tessa had barely left the platform to train for more than an hour and her physical condition was deteriorating. Watching her now as she walked towards the kitchen, her steps swaying gave him great cause for concern. It was obvious that though she'd spend a great deal of the time in bed, she hadn't slept much. A soft curse from Tessa as she caught herself against the counter was enough for him to decide. 'I've had enough.'
Standing he crossed the short distance and dispossessed his weights and turban on the floor. At the sound Tessa turned, nearly having to catch her balance again as she glared at him. "What are you doing?"
Piccolo's frown mirrored her own as he closed the distance between them, eyes locked on her. "I've had enough of this." Without warning he threw her over his right shoulder.
"No!" Pushing against his back, she rose up until he held her vertical in his arms, though the shift in her weight didn't deter him from starting for the door. "Damn you Piccolo! What the hell is this?!"
He could fell her fever through his gi and exposed arm. "I'm getting you out of here."
"You can't!" Tessa shifted her weight again, hoping to force him to release her but Piccolo simply took to holding her bridal style, their eyes locked and his feet stalled "This time will be wasted, you can't do that!"
For the shortest of instances Piccolo considered her words but they did not sway him. "It's for the best, and you'll be able to recover properly." Tears began to build in her blue eyes. "I won't allow you to deteriorate any further, no matter how much hatred you may hold towards me now." Taking her silence for consent, he began walking and reached the door, shifting her weight grip the handle just before she'd found her voice.
"I don't hate you." Her admission caused his hand to freeze, and he told himself his heart hadn't skipped a beat as he straightened to stare at her. "I was angry, I still am and hurt by what you did, but I've never hated you."
He blinked, trying desperately to gather claim his thoughts. "None the less, you need…"
"Time…" Reaching up, she wrapped her arms around his neck, allowing him to adjust and hold her in a more comfortable angle. "…I need time to grieve for Nail. I've never taken it. I need time to heal the hurt I'm feeling from all that."
Her tears were flowing now, and Piccolo felt her tremble as she cried. His eyes cut away from her, though he remained by the door and he remained silent for several minutes, his arms tightening around her until she was cradled in his neck.
Finally, her gaze returned to him and he sighed. "Twelve hours." She could tell from his tone there would be no arguing. "Either the fever you're carrying breaks completely in the next twelve hours or I'll escort you from this room so fast it will make Vegeta's head spin."
Tessa stared into his unyielding dark eyes and reminded herself that his demand was coming from a place of caring and concern, even if his deadline was unbelievably short. She nodded. "That won't mean much to the emotional scars, you know that, right?"
He nodded. "I am aware."
Relaxing for the first time in what felt like days, Tessa leaned back against his shoulder with a small smile. "Ok, then let me get back to bed then." A small smirk spread as his began to move and their eyes met again. "Unless you would just assume baby me all day?"
Chocking on Tessa's quip, Piccolo glared down at her and threw her onto the mattress. "Don't press your luck."
Her laughter had his heart racing again as he turned his back. "There's one more thing." He met her gaze over his right shoulder. "When I take the second round here, I do so alone."
Tessa knew arguing with him now would be useless. The Namekian warrior was far too wound up and would simply escort her out. Sighing, Tessa laid back with a nod. "Fine, but you'll miss my company."
As he left her there, a small smile was hidden by his shoulder as he moved back out to the void. 'Yeah, I will.'