Author's note: Thank you, I_like_rainbows_except_yours ro whatever the hell your name is. Because of you, I have devided to write another chapter. After all, I can't let down my biggest fan. When you hit yourself over the head with your little hammer again, may all of your rainbows be bright. For the rest of the flamers out there, thank I_like_rainbows...for your continued pain.
For all of you non-flamers out there, especially Carina (thanks for the review, it made my day), and diamond_unicorn (I noTIced, LOL, :)) here is chapter two. Oh, and if you're wondering about all that up there, go to my reviews to find out.
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Chpt 2
Deep in the cold reaches of space a darkness lurked, a simple, egg-shaped, shadow against a back drop of stars. Elegant lines hid its sinister purpose for inside this shadow sat a creature. A creature who was searching for one thing. A creature that would not stop until that which was sought had been obtained. A creature that would bring terror and pain to one planet, to one being.
"Soon," the creature promised, gently stroking the navigational console. "Soon you'll be mine."
Piccolo jerked awake with a yell. He took a deep breath as he glanced around, disgusted with himself but more interested in the dream that had pulled him from his rare slumber. IT was still out there, so close now that IT invaded his thoughts whenever he let his guard down and, for some reason, he felt as if he should know what IT was.
Piccolo stood, wiping sweat from his brow. This is ridiculous, he growled to himself. He had never felt anything like this before in his life so there was no reason for him to feel as if he had.
Maybe I should go see Kami, Piccolo mused, then rejected the thought. He didn't really wasn't to visit the older Namek; he didn't feel like getting the third degree yet again. Kami could never just answer his questions, he always had to try and pick Piccolo's brain, to see how an "evil" mind worked. Or, at least, that was the way Piccolo saw it. He didn't know why the old Namekian couldn't just mind his own business. In his opinion, being a god did not initial Kami the right to know what the devil was doing. Besides, Kami's goodness was so pure that it made Piccolo's teeth ache.
"Hey, Mr. Piccolo!"
Piccolo turned to see Gohan coming into the clearing. The Namekian frowned. It was later in the morning than he had realized. "What do you want?"
"I came to train," Gohan smiled.
Good, Piccolo thought then gave his usual humorless smile and shot Gohan with his eye beams.
Gohan fell over, smoking. "Ow."
"I thought you were ready to train," Piccolo taunted.
Gohan remained still.
Piccolo frowned. I didn't hit him that hard. "If you're not going to fight, go home."
Gohan continued to remain still.
Piccolo took a step forward. Maybe I hurt him. "Gohan?"
"YIAH!!!" Gohan yelled, leaping to his feet as he sent a ki blast straight at Piccolo's head.
"What-?" Piccolo dodged, felt the heat of the attack as it sailed past his ear, then followed through with an attack of his own.
And the spar began.
Deep in space, IT perked up. IT did not know exactly where that which IT sought was, only that that object was in this solar system. And now, that object had increased its power. The creature could feel the object's energy level growing, even over such a great distance.
"Yes," IT cooed and the shadows cowered behind IT, "you will make a fine addition to my collection."
Gohan lay in the grass, panting. Piccolo stood over him, arms crossed, waiting. The Namek was taking deep breaths and was impressed by how much the boy had improved. That kid almost has me tired, he realized and suppressed the proud smile.
"Well?" he growled instead and Gohan began to get his feet.
"GOHAN!!!"
Gohan dropped his fighting stance, face falling, as Piccolo whirled to face the new adversary.
Through the trees and brush his keen eyes could just make out Chi-chi's form as she stomped through the woods. Anger radiated off her and Piccolo could have sworn that she glowed faintly. The Namek straightened from his fighting stance and snatched up his discarded turban and cape from their resting spots on a near-by rock. Donning his mantle, he set out for the near-irate mother.
"Piccolo!" Gohan hissed, but he was ignored.
"GOHA-oh," Chi-chi cut herself off as she caught sight of her unwanted guest. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.
Piccolo glowered at her, then stalked past her without a word. Who did she think she was anyway? He had a great deal to do before IT arrived and here she was, interrupting a very important sparing session. He felt as if he should blow her up on principal but, in deference to Gohan, refrained.
"Hey!" Chi-chi yelled, grabbing his cape. "I'm talking to you!"
Piccolo stopped and cast a dangerous look over his shoulder. Maybe he'd blast her anyway.
"Mom!"
Chi-chi released her hold on the Namekian cape as Gohan ran towards her.
"Gohan! Where have you been?" she demanded, turning her back on Piccolo. "Look at what you've done to your new clothes," she continued before her son could answer. "Its that green kidnapper's influence, isn't it? You were out here fighting with him instead of studying, and YOU-" Chi-chi turned to place the blame squarely where she thought it belonged only to find Piccolo was no where to be seen.
Not that that slowed Chi-chi down one little bit. "YOU STAY AWAY FROM MY GOHAN YOU CREEP!!!" she bawled. "DO YOU HERE ME?!?"
"Mom," Gohan implored. "I think he's gone."
"Well, he had better just stay gone if he knows what's good for him."
Gohan didn't say anything. The fact that his teacher had disappeared proved that Piccolo found the boy's mother to be insignificant. That knowledge hurt. Gohan didn't blame Piccolo for leaving, he often wished he could just leave as well, but that didn't keep his feelings from being hurt. And looking at the expression on his mother's face, Gohan know that the battle of wills was far from over.
Piccolo paced restlessly by the riverbank. His gi was in tatters and his turban and cape lay in a heap by the tree line. He had been sparring with himself for hours and still he was restless. He had tried to meditate, to calm his nerves, but, to his growing agitation, he found he couldn't. Couldn't because of that damn dark IT that continued to loom overhead.
Thunder crashed overhead and Piccolo snapped an angry look up at the sky. The darkness had been intensifying ever since he had left Gohan with his mother and now the swollen clouds dumped their burden upon the unsuspecting landscape in torrents, pelting the Namekian mercilessly.
Piccolo snarled wordlessly as his gi stuck to his shoulders and legs. The rain felt unnatural, slick and slightly oily and it smelled. There was no doubt in his mind that whatever was coming caused the storm, and that knowledge filled him with anger.
I need information, he realized, and he leaped into the air. It was time to go see Kami.
A wave of darkness hit his mind unexpectedly. Piccolo felt himself fall for a moment then his body went numb. He tried to push the invading darkness from his mind and failed. He was vaguely aware of the fact that his body had hit the ground, but he couldn't feel any pain. There should have been pain.
As if to oblige him, a sharp spike of pain shot through his head, blinding him and bringing a gasp from his lips. His mouth opened as he fought to breath, oily rain running into his nose and mouth, gagging him. He coughed, sputtered, and tried to fight, tried to move, but there was nothing he could do. His body was dead, his mind numb, and so he did the only thing he could.
"Gohan," he sputtered and released a wave of energy.
Gohan looked up from his studies, shoulders stiffening. He knew that power signature.
"Piccolo?"
He stood up so abruptly his chair tipped over backwards. He was out of his room before the chair hit the floor and outside before his mother could call him back.
"Gohan!" Chi-chi yelled, abandoning her cooking as her only son raced by. He was gone before she could get to the front door.
Blood. Deep red, all over everywhere. In the trees, on the ground, swirling unnaturally on top of the water, even in his mouth. The taste was copperish, similar to the rain that had been running down his throat earlier. And to make matters worse, he knew who's blood this was. He had laid there in the mud and watched as the dark shadows had flown out of the forest and ripped the owner of all that blood to shreds. He had watched as those shadows had taken the only thing he had ever cared for and flayed the skin from his tiny body. Screamed with pain and rage along with the boy's agonizing cries as he was gutted and then dismembered, fought impotently as the shadows had poured the boy's blood down his throat.
"Why?" he demanded, tears stinging eyes that had never known tears before.
*All I wanted was the boy,* the shadows purred as they curled around him and drifted back to the woods. *You got in the way.*
Piccolo snarled, loosing himself to blind furry as he struggled to free himself from the unseen bonds that pinned him to the ground.
*You can't stop me. You can't protect him. I'll have what I want.*
"Gohan," Piccolo whispered, closing his eyes.
"PICCOLO!!!" Gohan screamed, voice swirling around and dissipating in the wind and rain. "WHERE ARE YOU?!?"
He closed his eyes, focusing on his friend's ki. And, finally, he found it.
"I'm coming, Piccolo, hold on."
Kami peered down at Earth, an uncharacteristic glower plastered across his craggy green features.
"Kami? What is it, Kami?" the beach-ball shaped genie that shared the Lookout asked.
"Something bad is attacking the Earth, Mr. Popo," Kami answered tersely. "Something I haven't felt in almost a lifetime."
Gohan burst from the tree line to find Piccolo lying flat on his back in a growing puddle of mud. The Namekian twitched spasmodically, snarls escaping from his clenched teeth every few moments.
"Piccolo?" Gohan asked, inching forward, ready to attack or defend against whatever unknown enemy that had laid his mentor out. He sensed nothing.
As he crept closer, he noticed that Piccolo's eyes had rolled up and he seemed to be a little paler that usual. Gohan reached down and carefully shook Piccolo's shoulder.
"Piccolo, wake up!" He shook the prone fighter harder. "Please?"
Piccolo jerked, then leaped to his feet, snarling, a murderous look gleaming in his eyes.
Gohan took a step back, frightened by his teacher for the first time in his life. "Mr. Piccolo?"
Piccolo's eyes cleared. "Gohan?" he asked, uncertain as he reached out hesitantly and touched the boy's shoulder. "Gohan," his voice was stronger the second time, more confident. "What the hell happened?"
"I don't know," Gohan answered. "When I got here you were lying on the ground. Are you okay?"
"Fine," Piccolo rasped, looking up to the sky despite the rain. *You can't stop me.* Wanna bet?, Piccolo thought, pushing the memory from his mind.
Gohan looked up to the sky as well, then, much to Piccolo's alarm, he opened his mouth wide to catch the rain water. Piccolo stared at him for a moment, still tasting the water's copperish aftertaste in the back of his throat.
"Don't drink that!" he yelled, slapping his pupil in the back of the head.
Gohan's head snapped forward and he coughed, choking on the rain. "Why not?" he asked once he had recovered, rubbing the back of his head.
"Because. It's. Evil."
Gohan looked at Piccolo confused but willing to take the older warrior's word for it.
Piccolo glared at the sky again then looked at Gohan. He couldn't believe the relief he felt as he gazed at the boy. Finding that the kid was still alive released feelings he hadn't even been aware he possessed. He didn't like it.
"Go home."
"But-"
"NOW!!!" He didn't have time for this, he needed the boy to be home safe.
"Is it here?" Gohan asked, staying put, voice quavering slightly.
"I don't know."
"Piccolo-"
"Go. Home."
Gohan dropped his head. He walked to the tree line slowly. Piccolo frowned. The kid was never that pokey. Suddenly, Gohan's knees buckled and the young half-Saiyan had to brace himself against a tree.
"Mr. Piccolo?" he asked weakly, then, to Piccolo's dismay, his little body shook and dropped.
Moving so fast he appeared to blur then disappear, Piccolo reached Gohan before the child hit the ground. Fear hit the Namek's guts, a feeling he hadn't felt in a very long time, as he realized that IT had been right. He hadn't been able to protect his only friend.
Rising, child cradled in his arms, he sprinted through the forest, not sure if he could fly without being attack again and not about to chance it while he toted such a precious cargo. All thoughts about the oncoming danger faded from his mind, his only thoughts were to get Gohan home.
He reached the house faster than he had anticipated and kicked on the front door until Chi-chi opened up.
"What do you think you're doing he-" she demanded then cut herself off as she noticed what the most-hated-man-in-all-of-the-world-as-far-as-she-was-concerned was holding. "Gohan! What have you done to my baby, you animal? I have half a mind to-"
"Take him!" Piccolo handed the prone boy over to his mother.
"Oh my poor baby!" Chi-chi howled, tears filling her eyes. "What did that monster do to you?" She shook him gently. "Why won't he wake up?"
"I don't know."
She backed into the house and Piccolo followed, watching as she settled Gohan on the couch. The boy's eyes had rolled up into the back of his head and he was very pale. He convulsed then lay still.
"Gohan," Piccolo called, hoping Gohan would answer.
Chi-chi answered instead. She whirled on him, eyes flashing.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded and a frying pan appeared in her hand. "This is all your fault!"
She hurled the frying pan at his head. "GET OUT!!!!!" she screamed. "Get out and never come back! We don't need your help!"
Piccolo made for the door as other kitchen utensils rained pell mell all around him. He dashed into the rain, then looked back to find Chi-chi standing in the doorway.
"You failed Goku and you failed my son," she spat, "and if you ever come back here, so help me-"
"I won't," Piccolo said quietly, guilt hitting him hard. *You can't protect him.* Seething, he leaped into the air, half expecting to be slammed back to the earth.
He needed answers and he only knew of one place where he could get them.
He landed gently on the tiled floor, surprised to find that it was raining up there as well. It never rained there.
He approached his older half, determination twisting his features into a cold mask.
"Kami," he started, and his good half turned.
"IT's here," Kami answered Piccolo's unspoken question. "And nothing I know of can stop IT."
Ah, there. Chapter two. Now, I need help. I need bad guy names so if you think of some, could you let me know? I can't keep calling the bad guy IT, now can I?
For all of you non-flamers out there, especially Carina (thanks for the review, it made my day), and diamond_unicorn (I noTIced, LOL, :)) here is chapter two. Oh, and if you're wondering about all that up there, go to my reviews to find out.
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Chpt 2
Deep in the cold reaches of space a darkness lurked, a simple, egg-shaped, shadow against a back drop of stars. Elegant lines hid its sinister purpose for inside this shadow sat a creature. A creature who was searching for one thing. A creature that would not stop until that which was sought had been obtained. A creature that would bring terror and pain to one planet, to one being.
"Soon," the creature promised, gently stroking the navigational console. "Soon you'll be mine."
Piccolo jerked awake with a yell. He took a deep breath as he glanced around, disgusted with himself but more interested in the dream that had pulled him from his rare slumber. IT was still out there, so close now that IT invaded his thoughts whenever he let his guard down and, for some reason, he felt as if he should know what IT was.
Piccolo stood, wiping sweat from his brow. This is ridiculous, he growled to himself. He had never felt anything like this before in his life so there was no reason for him to feel as if he had.
Maybe I should go see Kami, Piccolo mused, then rejected the thought. He didn't really wasn't to visit the older Namek; he didn't feel like getting the third degree yet again. Kami could never just answer his questions, he always had to try and pick Piccolo's brain, to see how an "evil" mind worked. Or, at least, that was the way Piccolo saw it. He didn't know why the old Namekian couldn't just mind his own business. In his opinion, being a god did not initial Kami the right to know what the devil was doing. Besides, Kami's goodness was so pure that it made Piccolo's teeth ache.
"Hey, Mr. Piccolo!"
Piccolo turned to see Gohan coming into the clearing. The Namekian frowned. It was later in the morning than he had realized. "What do you want?"
"I came to train," Gohan smiled.
Good, Piccolo thought then gave his usual humorless smile and shot Gohan with his eye beams.
Gohan fell over, smoking. "Ow."
"I thought you were ready to train," Piccolo taunted.
Gohan remained still.
Piccolo frowned. I didn't hit him that hard. "If you're not going to fight, go home."
Gohan continued to remain still.
Piccolo took a step forward. Maybe I hurt him. "Gohan?"
"YIAH!!!" Gohan yelled, leaping to his feet as he sent a ki blast straight at Piccolo's head.
"What-?" Piccolo dodged, felt the heat of the attack as it sailed past his ear, then followed through with an attack of his own.
And the spar began.
Deep in space, IT perked up. IT did not know exactly where that which IT sought was, only that that object was in this solar system. And now, that object had increased its power. The creature could feel the object's energy level growing, even over such a great distance.
"Yes," IT cooed and the shadows cowered behind IT, "you will make a fine addition to my collection."
Gohan lay in the grass, panting. Piccolo stood over him, arms crossed, waiting. The Namek was taking deep breaths and was impressed by how much the boy had improved. That kid almost has me tired, he realized and suppressed the proud smile.
"Well?" he growled instead and Gohan began to get his feet.
"GOHAN!!!"
Gohan dropped his fighting stance, face falling, as Piccolo whirled to face the new adversary.
Through the trees and brush his keen eyes could just make out Chi-chi's form as she stomped through the woods. Anger radiated off her and Piccolo could have sworn that she glowed faintly. The Namek straightened from his fighting stance and snatched up his discarded turban and cape from their resting spots on a near-by rock. Donning his mantle, he set out for the near-irate mother.
"Piccolo!" Gohan hissed, but he was ignored.
"GOHA-oh," Chi-chi cut herself off as she caught sight of her unwanted guest. "What are you doing here?" she demanded.
Piccolo glowered at her, then stalked past her without a word. Who did she think she was anyway? He had a great deal to do before IT arrived and here she was, interrupting a very important sparing session. He felt as if he should blow her up on principal but, in deference to Gohan, refrained.
"Hey!" Chi-chi yelled, grabbing his cape. "I'm talking to you!"
Piccolo stopped and cast a dangerous look over his shoulder. Maybe he'd blast her anyway.
"Mom!"
Chi-chi released her hold on the Namekian cape as Gohan ran towards her.
"Gohan! Where have you been?" she demanded, turning her back on Piccolo. "Look at what you've done to your new clothes," she continued before her son could answer. "Its that green kidnapper's influence, isn't it? You were out here fighting with him instead of studying, and YOU-" Chi-chi turned to place the blame squarely where she thought it belonged only to find Piccolo was no where to be seen.
Not that that slowed Chi-chi down one little bit. "YOU STAY AWAY FROM MY GOHAN YOU CREEP!!!" she bawled. "DO YOU HERE ME?!?"
"Mom," Gohan implored. "I think he's gone."
"Well, he had better just stay gone if he knows what's good for him."
Gohan didn't say anything. The fact that his teacher had disappeared proved that Piccolo found the boy's mother to be insignificant. That knowledge hurt. Gohan didn't blame Piccolo for leaving, he often wished he could just leave as well, but that didn't keep his feelings from being hurt. And looking at the expression on his mother's face, Gohan know that the battle of wills was far from over.
Piccolo paced restlessly by the riverbank. His gi was in tatters and his turban and cape lay in a heap by the tree line. He had been sparring with himself for hours and still he was restless. He had tried to meditate, to calm his nerves, but, to his growing agitation, he found he couldn't. Couldn't because of that damn dark IT that continued to loom overhead.
Thunder crashed overhead and Piccolo snapped an angry look up at the sky. The darkness had been intensifying ever since he had left Gohan with his mother and now the swollen clouds dumped their burden upon the unsuspecting landscape in torrents, pelting the Namekian mercilessly.
Piccolo snarled wordlessly as his gi stuck to his shoulders and legs. The rain felt unnatural, slick and slightly oily and it smelled. There was no doubt in his mind that whatever was coming caused the storm, and that knowledge filled him with anger.
I need information, he realized, and he leaped into the air. It was time to go see Kami.
A wave of darkness hit his mind unexpectedly. Piccolo felt himself fall for a moment then his body went numb. He tried to push the invading darkness from his mind and failed. He was vaguely aware of the fact that his body had hit the ground, but he couldn't feel any pain. There should have been pain.
As if to oblige him, a sharp spike of pain shot through his head, blinding him and bringing a gasp from his lips. His mouth opened as he fought to breath, oily rain running into his nose and mouth, gagging him. He coughed, sputtered, and tried to fight, tried to move, but there was nothing he could do. His body was dead, his mind numb, and so he did the only thing he could.
"Gohan," he sputtered and released a wave of energy.
Gohan looked up from his studies, shoulders stiffening. He knew that power signature.
"Piccolo?"
He stood up so abruptly his chair tipped over backwards. He was out of his room before the chair hit the floor and outside before his mother could call him back.
"Gohan!" Chi-chi yelled, abandoning her cooking as her only son raced by. He was gone before she could get to the front door.
Blood. Deep red, all over everywhere. In the trees, on the ground, swirling unnaturally on top of the water, even in his mouth. The taste was copperish, similar to the rain that had been running down his throat earlier. And to make matters worse, he knew who's blood this was. He had laid there in the mud and watched as the dark shadows had flown out of the forest and ripped the owner of all that blood to shreds. He had watched as those shadows had taken the only thing he had ever cared for and flayed the skin from his tiny body. Screamed with pain and rage along with the boy's agonizing cries as he was gutted and then dismembered, fought impotently as the shadows had poured the boy's blood down his throat.
"Why?" he demanded, tears stinging eyes that had never known tears before.
*All I wanted was the boy,* the shadows purred as they curled around him and drifted back to the woods. *You got in the way.*
Piccolo snarled, loosing himself to blind furry as he struggled to free himself from the unseen bonds that pinned him to the ground.
*You can't stop me. You can't protect him. I'll have what I want.*
"Gohan," Piccolo whispered, closing his eyes.
"PICCOLO!!!" Gohan screamed, voice swirling around and dissipating in the wind and rain. "WHERE ARE YOU?!?"
He closed his eyes, focusing on his friend's ki. And, finally, he found it.
"I'm coming, Piccolo, hold on."
Kami peered down at Earth, an uncharacteristic glower plastered across his craggy green features.
"Kami? What is it, Kami?" the beach-ball shaped genie that shared the Lookout asked.
"Something bad is attacking the Earth, Mr. Popo," Kami answered tersely. "Something I haven't felt in almost a lifetime."
Gohan burst from the tree line to find Piccolo lying flat on his back in a growing puddle of mud. The Namekian twitched spasmodically, snarls escaping from his clenched teeth every few moments.
"Piccolo?" Gohan asked, inching forward, ready to attack or defend against whatever unknown enemy that had laid his mentor out. He sensed nothing.
As he crept closer, he noticed that Piccolo's eyes had rolled up and he seemed to be a little paler that usual. Gohan reached down and carefully shook Piccolo's shoulder.
"Piccolo, wake up!" He shook the prone fighter harder. "Please?"
Piccolo jerked, then leaped to his feet, snarling, a murderous look gleaming in his eyes.
Gohan took a step back, frightened by his teacher for the first time in his life. "Mr. Piccolo?"
Piccolo's eyes cleared. "Gohan?" he asked, uncertain as he reached out hesitantly and touched the boy's shoulder. "Gohan," his voice was stronger the second time, more confident. "What the hell happened?"
"I don't know," Gohan answered. "When I got here you were lying on the ground. Are you okay?"
"Fine," Piccolo rasped, looking up to the sky despite the rain. *You can't stop me.* Wanna bet?, Piccolo thought, pushing the memory from his mind.
Gohan looked up to the sky as well, then, much to Piccolo's alarm, he opened his mouth wide to catch the rain water. Piccolo stared at him for a moment, still tasting the water's copperish aftertaste in the back of his throat.
"Don't drink that!" he yelled, slapping his pupil in the back of the head.
Gohan's head snapped forward and he coughed, choking on the rain. "Why not?" he asked once he had recovered, rubbing the back of his head.
"Because. It's. Evil."
Gohan looked at Piccolo confused but willing to take the older warrior's word for it.
Piccolo glared at the sky again then looked at Gohan. He couldn't believe the relief he felt as he gazed at the boy. Finding that the kid was still alive released feelings he hadn't even been aware he possessed. He didn't like it.
"Go home."
"But-"
"NOW!!!" He didn't have time for this, he needed the boy to be home safe.
"Is it here?" Gohan asked, staying put, voice quavering slightly.
"I don't know."
"Piccolo-"
"Go. Home."
Gohan dropped his head. He walked to the tree line slowly. Piccolo frowned. The kid was never that pokey. Suddenly, Gohan's knees buckled and the young half-Saiyan had to brace himself against a tree.
"Mr. Piccolo?" he asked weakly, then, to Piccolo's dismay, his little body shook and dropped.
Moving so fast he appeared to blur then disappear, Piccolo reached Gohan before the child hit the ground. Fear hit the Namek's guts, a feeling he hadn't felt in a very long time, as he realized that IT had been right. He hadn't been able to protect his only friend.
Rising, child cradled in his arms, he sprinted through the forest, not sure if he could fly without being attack again and not about to chance it while he toted such a precious cargo. All thoughts about the oncoming danger faded from his mind, his only thoughts were to get Gohan home.
He reached the house faster than he had anticipated and kicked on the front door until Chi-chi opened up.
"What do you think you're doing he-" she demanded then cut herself off as she noticed what the most-hated-man-in-all-of-the-world-as-far-as-she-was-concerned was holding. "Gohan! What have you done to my baby, you animal? I have half a mind to-"
"Take him!" Piccolo handed the prone boy over to his mother.
"Oh my poor baby!" Chi-chi howled, tears filling her eyes. "What did that monster do to you?" She shook him gently. "Why won't he wake up?"
"I don't know."
She backed into the house and Piccolo followed, watching as she settled Gohan on the couch. The boy's eyes had rolled up into the back of his head and he was very pale. He convulsed then lay still.
"Gohan," Piccolo called, hoping Gohan would answer.
Chi-chi answered instead. She whirled on him, eyes flashing.
"What are you doing here?" she demanded and a frying pan appeared in her hand. "This is all your fault!"
She hurled the frying pan at his head. "GET OUT!!!!!" she screamed. "Get out and never come back! We don't need your help!"
Piccolo made for the door as other kitchen utensils rained pell mell all around him. He dashed into the rain, then looked back to find Chi-chi standing in the doorway.
"You failed Goku and you failed my son," she spat, "and if you ever come back here, so help me-"
"I won't," Piccolo said quietly, guilt hitting him hard. *You can't protect him.* Seething, he leaped into the air, half expecting to be slammed back to the earth.
He needed answers and he only knew of one place where he could get them.
He landed gently on the tiled floor, surprised to find that it was raining up there as well. It never rained there.
He approached his older half, determination twisting his features into a cold mask.
"Kami," he started, and his good half turned.
"IT's here," Kami answered Piccolo's unspoken question. "And nothing I know of can stop IT."
Ah, there. Chapter two. Now, I need help. I need bad guy names so if you think of some, could you let me know? I can't keep calling the bad guy IT, now can I?