Body Love Potion #9

5: Cured at Last

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN YOU HAVEN'T STARTED YET!?!" roared Piccolo. Trunks cowered against a table in Bulma's lab, and Goten hid behind one of Bulma's projects.

"No, no, Piccolo," Trunks tried to explain. "You misunderstood me. I have plenty of ideas - in theory. I just haven't put any into practice."

"Well, you can do it now! Or I might just have to rearrange that pretty-boy face of yours."

Trunks couldn't have started work any faster.

After an hour, Goten wandered over to Trunks. "So, any luck?"

"Well, I have this idea," Trunks lowered his voice, and held up a glass jar. It contained a substance that looked suspiciously like Love Potion #9. "What if we give him another dose? It might cancel out the original dose."

"Y'know, that might just work. Go, Trunks!"

"Yeah, well. That's what wakes me the brains of this unit."

"Does that make me the beauty?"

"Ha! You wish. No, sorry, Goten. You're the beef."

"Very funny." Goten spun around. Piccolo was backing away from the two Saiyans. He had heard.

"Stay away from me!" he warned. "You're not putting any more of that stuff on me!"

"C'mon, Piccolo," urged Trunks. "It's our best bet!"

"Yeah, right. And what if it makes men attracted to me, as well? Or makes women twice as attracted to me. Huh? What then?"

"Sometimes we have to take chances!"

"No way!"

"Forget this!" Goten snatched the jar of Love Potion #9 from Trunks. "Come here, you big baby!"

Goten charged at Piccolo. Piccolo dodged Goten, and began to run around the lab, with Goten in hot pursuit.

"Keep away, you insane monkey!"

"You are such a baby, Piccolo!"

The two of them were now circling the room. As they made their third lap, Trunks had an idea.

"Hey, Goten!"

"What?" Goten halted, and looked at Trunks. Piccolo didn't notice until it was too late. He collided with Goten. Trunks had the sense of deja vu as Piccolo was covered with black goo.

"You bastards!"

"Trunks!" Bulma called.

"Uh-oh." Trunks surveyed the area around him. Some broken glass was scattered around, but nothing too bad. However, Goten and a blackened Piccolo in a sprawling mess on the floor did look pretty bad. Trunks concluded that he was in big trouble: with Piccolo if his idea hadn't worked, or with his mother if it had.

"Trunks!" Bulma opened the doors to the lab. "Trunks! What are you doing in here!?! You should be old enough to know better."

"Sorry, Mum." Trunks looked at his feet, and crossed his fingers. Please work. Please work.

"Goten? Is that you on the floor. Your mother will be hearing about this."

Goten cringed. "Yes, Bulma-san."

"Who is that down with you?"

"It's me." Piccolo stood up and wiped away the potion on his face.

"Piccolo!?! I don't believe it! You, of all people, playing around with these two mischief makers! Haven't you got something better to do? I dunno, meditating or something?"

Piccolo was too shocked to speak. Trunks' crazy idea had worked! He was cured!

"Um........I'm really sorry, Mum." Trunks attempted the face Bra used when getting out of trouble.

"Oh, it's alright." Bulma sighed. "Any-hoo, have you seen your father?"

"No, why?"

"I'm in the mood, and I can't find him anywhere!"

The colour drained from Trunks' face. He looked slightly ill. "Mum, please! Don't tell me those sorts of things! I don't wanna know when my parents are gonna do it!"

Bulma smirked, and left the room. Goten and Trunks gave each other high-fives.

"Hey, let's make sure it worked completely before we celebrate." said Piccolo. Goten and Trunks nodded, and all three of them rushed to the main building.

"Whoa! ChiChi!"

"Videl? Mmph!"

"#18! What are you doing?"

Goten, Trunks and Piccolo entered the building to an amazing sight. Goku was pinned in a corner, with ChiChi slowly advancing on him. Gohan was seated in a chair, with Videl straddling and passionately kissing him. #18 had more modesty. She had Krillin swung over one shoulder and was headed for a more private place.

"Eek! It's Piccolo!" shrieked Marron. She ran into the arms of the closest available male - Yamcha. Yamcha's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Oh, Yamcha. You won't let the scary green man hurt me, will you?"

Goten laughed. "Hey, Yamcha! Stick it in! Hahaha.....huh?" Goten turned and saw Bra wrapping her arms around his waist.

"Hi, Goten. Care to explain why your shirt is in my bedroom?" Bra fluttered her eyelashes.

"Uh.....yeah....it's not what you think....you see......"

Trunks glared dagger eyes at Goten. He was about to say something, but.......

"TRUNKS!!!" Pan crash tackled Trunks and pinned him to the ground.

"Pan! Uh....hi," Trunks lamely finished. He has never admitted it to anyone, but he found Pan extremely attractive.

"Hi. Are you feeling up to some........sparring?" Pan winked at a now very red Trunks.

But Trunks quickly overcame his shyness. He smiled in a very Vegeta way. "Sure. Why not?" He followed #18's lead, and took Pan up to his room.

After they had left, Bra detached herself from Goten. She placed a light kiss on his lips. "Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back.

Bra walked over to ChiChi, who was pressed against Goku. "ChiChi-san, if you and Goku-san want a more......intimate setting, you can use my parents' room. I saw Mum headed towards the Gravity Room, and no doubt that's where Daddy is."

ChiChi grinned. "Thanks, Bra-chan. Come on, Goku dear." She dragged her husband to Vegeta and Bulma's room.

Bra then moved on to Videl, suggesting that she and Gohan use one of the guest rooms. "But don't take one with a closed door. Marron was planning on staying the night, so one of those is hers. Plus, I'm not sure where Krillin and #18 are. So.....yeah."

Videl expressed her thanks. She and Gohan raced up to one of the guest rooms, Gohan a lot less reluctant than his father.

Bra glanced around. Only she, Goten and Piccolo were left in the room. She wasn't sure where the people she hadn't directed had gone, but she didn't care either. She returned to Goten.

"C'mon, Goten. I'll give you your shirt back."

"Uh, sure." Goten glanced back at Piccolo.

Piccolo smiled. "Go for it, kid."

Goten beamed, grabbed Bra and raced up the stairs to her room. Piccolo heard Bra giggle, then a door shut.

Piccolo looked around the empty room. Satisfied that he was alone, Piccolo did a little dance of joy. He was cured. No more jealous males, no more flirty females!

He stopped. Irritating as it had been, Piccolo had to admit that being a chick-magnet had almost been fun. He had experienced romance and relationships, things he had never understood. He touched his lips, remembering Bra's kiss.

Piccolo glanced at the coffee table. On top of it was the Dragon Radar, with seven blipping dots.

"Maybe I should use the Dragon Balls to wish for a gender, or something." He thought for a moment or two. "Nah!"

And with that, Piccolo flew back to Kami's Lookout.

So, Piccolo has been cured. Everything is back to normal. Or is it? Piccolo won't ever be able to recover from such a bizarre experience. And what's wrong with all the women? Find out in the final part: A Changed Namek!