The Torment 5: Other Problems
Disclaimer: Here we go again. They aren't mine, don't make money, and my hair is red. Sort of.
Piccolo-chan woke feeling like hell. That was the only word she could use to describe it.
Her throat felt like it was withered shut, dry, and sore. Her eyes weren't in much better shape. Piccolo-chan wondered when she had started adding weights to her other clothes…
"Good," said a hazy voice. "She's awake."
"Where?" she croaked, wondering what in hell was going on.
"You're in my dad's guest house," said another voice, and Videl seemed to appear out of nowhere. "You've been out for two days."
"NANI??" she almost shouted, sitting up, but as soon as she did that, her head broke into an aching throb, and she lay down again.
"You have the flu," said the first voice. It took her a moment to realize it was Dende.
"I know that I can fly, what are you talking about," she mumbled. Thinking was too much work.
"I think she must be feeling better," said Videl, lightly. Then, chagrined, she added," Drink this, and go back to sleep. You'll feel better later."
Something bad tasting and sticky was put to her lips, and she swallowed. Sleep claimed her again.
Piccolo-chan had no idea how long she was out again. She only knew that an unknown amount of time had passed before she woke up again.
The dreams she had been having were bad, but not really understood. People and places she had been were interacting and doing some of the most bizarre things. Then they would turn evil. She saw Gohan killed over and over, with nothing she could do to stop it, but even worse was when he became infected by the BlackWater Mist, and turned on her.
Coughing, she woke up, to find a familiar voice telling her to drink something.
"Gohan-kun?" she asked softly, when a hand tilted her head up.
"Shush, here." Something sweet and sour this time, followed by tea.
There were voices in the background that she listened to, and she was completely disinterested, or she would have tired jumping out the nearest window.
"Thanks for coming over to help. I just wish there was more I could have done."
"You're welcome," said Gohan, taking up his post again in a chair. "She's my friend, too."
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"You need to go to the bathroom," said a voice.
"Lemme alone," she growled, and Videl shook her head.
"Gohan, help me move her."
Two people picked her up, but this made her feel weirder.
Gohan stopped at the door of the restroom, and Videl helped walk Piccolo-chan to the toilet.
"Sit," said a terse voice.
She did, but not before Videl shucked her pants.
"Huh?" she asked, confused.
"Just, uh, relax, and let all the stuff out, Piccolo."
Piccolo-chan didn't really understand, but did so anyway. The vague pain in her abdomen went away.
It was only later that she felt a little grossed out by it.
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"School?" Piccolo-chan heard herself say, after Dende had made the suggestion.
"You're going to be a human for a while, and since you don't have to worry about switching back and forth now, I'll tell Gohan that Piccolo went somewhere as a favor to me, and you can learn something about humans," Dende said, wincing at the glare he received.
"I'll get you in," said Videl with a smirk. This was going to be so much fun!
"Kuso," remarked Piccolo-chan
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"Hello minna," said Piccolo-chan through clenched teeth. She was standing in front of large group of students, dressed this time in jeans and top. For some reason Videl delighted in dressing her like she was a giant doll.
"There is an empty seat near Gohan-kun, if you would go sit there?"
Gohan?
Looking up, she saw him there, next to Videl and another boy with blond hair.
"Hey, good lookin'," said the blond boy. He leered at Piccolo-chan, and she didn't like it.
Unfortunately, she had to pass him to get to Gohan, and he took the opportunity to pinch her butt.
Piccolo-chan yelped indignantly. Turning, she grabbed his shirt and lifted him into the air, and snarled," What did you just do?"
Sharpener just looked at her, terror crossing his face at her murderous one.
He sputtered when she lifted him above her head. Piccolo-chan started thinking about the various ways to murder him when Gohan stepped beside her and punched Sharpener through a wall.
Sitting down to the snickers coming from the class, the teacher started laughing.
In fact, she laughed so hard that she was crying. "Oh, Kami, he had that coming."
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It had been about a month since Piccolo-chan had become stuck that way, and she was feeling grumpy. More so that usual.
What bothered her all the more was that all the males seemed so petty. As in, they were trying to pet her or touch her at every opportunity, even Gohan. They had both beaten the snot out of him after his first attempt to grope her, but then Gohan touched her shoulder, and she had gone off the handle.
Screeching, she had punched him in the jaw, almost sending him over a building, almost giving herself away.
Then she returned to Videl's guesthouse. Piccolo-chan had plopped herself down in front of the TV, and was starting to cry because of the movie she was watching.
"Piccolo-san?" said Videl, sounding concerned. She had heard about her strange behavior, and was starting to wonder…
She was shocked to see the usually stoic Namek turned girl curled up on a couch, crying, which turned into a wince as she shifted.
"What is going on?" she asked Videl, before making a soft sound and grabbing her abdomen.
"Oh, hells," muttered Videl. She stomped off to her own house, got a book, and handed it to Piccolo-chan.
"You're on the rag, Piccolo. Read this." Videl also handed her a brick of chocolate and some Midol.
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The book described in very dull, dry terms the method of reproduction used by humans. Piccolo-chan had thought that they went through a lot of stupid crap, but this..!
"No wonder guys think girls are crazy, if they go through this every month," she moaned to herself later. She was really starting to hurt. Videl had been by again to give her a box of sanitary napkins, saying she was no way in hell going to show her how to use tampons. Piccolo-chan had no idea what she was saying, but agreed. There were things about humans that she could gladly have lived her life without knowing, and this was one of them.
"Why the hell do they bother?"
"Oh, there are reasons, but hopefully you don't have to worry about them. Just stay away from horny guys."
Videl and Piccolo-chan were packing. Videl had apologized, but was going to have to go to America for the next two months, with her father.
"Dad never did think much about school schedules," she told Piccolo-chan.
"You stay here," Videl said, and Piccolo-chan suddenly felt lonely. As much trouble as Videl seemed to be at times, at least she had been someone to explain the strangeness of being human and female.
Seeing the forlorn look on her face, Videl smiled encouragement. "You'll do fine." She gave her a hug.
Leaving the room, Piccolo-chan wondered what else could happen, and that last comment about guys.
"What does 'horny' mean? Like Furiza?"
To be continued…
(Trust me, in the next one, you will not guess what will happen.)