Goku laid back heavily against his chair, breath finally coming at ease and the blood that had boiled up to his throat returned downwards. Now hazy eyes, filled with confusion, rested upon the still, easy-breathing man on the bed, who was completely oblivious to his wide-eyed child hood friend or the glooming green figure beside him.
Gohan…is it really you? Or has the loneliness finally come to my head…?
*****
" Is it really him, Piccolo?" Krillin asked.
The green Namek slowly rose from his crouching position and walked over to the bed. The open window brushed Piccolo's cape, the wind from outside entering the silent home. The Namek looked down at the innocent face, tilted away from him to lie on its other side.
Brow ridges lowered slowly. Gohan…
~ " Piccolo?"
" Gohan."
" Can I ask you a question?"
" Hn."
" If…if I die…would you miss me?"
Piccolo slowly opened his eyes and looked down at the child, who had contently snuggled up to his side while he began to meditate. Gohan was fiddling with a piece of grass; his house clothes dirty from playing hard.
" Would you?" Gohan asked again and tilted his head upwards to look up at his best friend. The boy gave a faint smile, and though Piccolo never gave Gohan an answer, the boy knew it anyway. ~
Slowly, Piccolo reached out and brushed back Gohan's bangs. I thought you were dead…Piccolo thought, the mask on his face shadowing any feelings that his thoughts brought. When he was brought back from the dead, Piccolo awaited a cheery boy to run up to him, yelling his name with complete joy.
But the boy never ran up to him.
He didn't hear his name being called out.
It was then that Piccolo learned that no matter how hard Goku tried, he never found his son. Even after wishing back his friends, the Earth warrior continued to search and found nothing. No ki, no Frieza. It was like they had fallen within a black hole and were lost forever.
Piccolo lost the only friend he had ever had and it hurt. A lot. But he never admitted that to anyone, refused to. But somehow down the line, Vegeta had noticed the buried pain.
*****
" Come on, you weakling!" Vegeta taunted and dodged the green fist aimed for his shoulder. " Don't tell me that's EVERYTHING you have!"
Piccolo was frustrated. No matter how long he trained his heart out, no matter how long he meditated his soul, he could never beat Vegeta at their spars. And just to make it worse, Goku was having no luck finding Gohan.
Gohan…
Piccolo snapped out of his thoughts when a fist slammed into his face, then to his stomach. Heaving over the loaded punch on his stomach, the Namek gasped silently.
" This is humiliating," Vegeta sneered and tossed Piccolo onto the ground. The Namek was ready to jump up and attack the Saiyan but a ki ball had mysteriously appeared in front of his face. Smartly, Piccolo backed off.
" What's wrong with you?" Vegeta asked, arms crossed and controlling the blue ball of energy to stay in front of the alien's face.
" Nothing," Piccolo growled.
" Save it," Vegeta snapped. " I've been you fighting better with that worthless brat of Kak-."
" If I hear ONE more negative thing about Gohan coming from YOUR mouth, Vegeta, I swear-!"
" Swear to kill me?" Vegeta laughed. " You can't even land a punch on me, so save your threats. Is that what has you worked up? Kakarott's brat?"
Piccolo chose to growl instead of answer. What business was it of Vegeta's? He was just a punching bag anyway; a replacement while Goku was searching the galaxy for his son.
" So that is it. Probably dead by now. Frieza probably needed something to eat on his long trip."
Piccolo's growl intensified and if he could, he would have jumped up and punched that smug smirk off the Saiyan's face. How much he HATED him! His smirk, his laugh, HIS HAIR.
" Did he use to peel off your skin and eat it to make all those scars appear, Vegeta?" Piccolo sneered with hatred and anger dripping from his tone. Vegeta stopped laughing, freezing, and his smirk disappeared. He glared at the Namek, his arms tightened with controlled rage.
Good, Piccolo thought with a tight smile. At least his ugly smirk is off that ugly face of his.
" What would YOU know, Namek?" Vegeta fused, black eyes blazing with rage. " You know NOTHING."
" But Gohan does, you tightass jerk!" Piccolo pointed out. " You THINK Frieza is going to give 'Kakarott's brat' a free galaxy trip and then nicely see him home?!"
The outburst again froze the proud prince. Eyes that were filled with fire now turned to ice and the tense body seemed to calm down some. Tight jawed, Vegeta shook his head then snorted.
" I don't care," Vegeta scuffed, turning his nose up into the air.
" You dismissing me now, Vegeta?" Piccolo snapped. " I'm gladly like to go, as soon as you remove this god damn ki from my face."
With a snarl, Vegeta did as ordered and the ki ball went flying into some unknown distance. The Namek picked himself, brushed off his tattered clothes and turned away angrily. When he had taken a few steps, the Prince called back to him.
" See you tomorrow, Namek."
Piccolo looked back at the Prince and caught the faint smirk on his lips again before they both turned away nsync and took into the air.
*****
It had been that Piccolo was able to get over Gohan…with the strange help from Vegeta. The fighting and slowly the talking. Sharing pasts, feelings. Gohan had been replaced with someone he could more relate to but he had never ever forgot his first friend.
And now that friend had returned, as a man. The strange connection was still there, Piccolo felt it buried down deep inside him. The connection of friendship, of a bond they had made together. He somehow felt that Gohan never forgot him either
" Look!" Krillin shouted, breaking through the Namek's thoughts. " He's waking up."
Unconsciously, Piccolo held his breath.
