Different Hearts, Same Dream

Part Nine

A Dragonball Z Fanfic by Hana Noir

Kyrie walked slowly, limping slightly, wanting the Doctor to think she was hurt worse than she actually was. Every now and again, a lab tech or another worker would run past them, eyes wide and frantic. She waited until they were around the final corner, then turned with blurring speed, ducking past the gun and landing a powerful uppercut squarely on the Doctor's chin. He flew up into the air then crashed to the floor flat on his back, unconscious. She sneered down at him.

"Not so tough without your watchdog, are you?" she asked, kicking the gun away from his outflung hand. She reached up under her shirt, fingers searching for the tiny pocket sewn into the lining of her brassiere. Grinning, she pulled out the capsule hidden there. Now all she had to do was plant the explosives where they would do the most damage and get out.

Piccolo knew instantly when Kyrie had escaped from her escort. Pausing in his demolition efforts, he folded his arms and hovered over the smoking rubble, waiting to see where she would exit. His eyes narrowed when he saw a familiar person come out of the still standing double doors. Just the person I wanted to see, Piccolo thought with a sinister grin.

"Come on down," the boy called, taunting. "Or are you scared?"

Piccolo snorted. The day he was afraid of a cocky little pup like that was the day he'd give up fighting altogether. He descended slowly, his cape billowing majestically around him. "You think you can take me, boy?" he asked, his deep voice rumbling like thunder.

Adam grinned widely. He was looking forward to this. The moment Piccolo's feet touched the ground, a dozen men armed with automatic rifles opened fire. Bullets pinged and hissed through the air, kicking up dust and dirt when they hit the ground. After several minutes of the intense barrage, Adam bellowed, "Cease fire!" The gunfire tapered off and the dust cloud began to settle. Piccolo stood there unscathed with a bored look on his face, a ki shield sparking and snapping around him.

"I hope you can do better than that," he said, smirking.

Face red with frustration, Adam snatched a knife out of the side of his boot. "Bastard!!" he shouted. "I'll kill you, but not before Eve sees you at my feet!! Then she'll have no choice but to stay with me." He brandished the knife and settled into a crouch.

Piccolo eyed him with no small amount of condescension, hiding the fury that his words had provoked. There was no way in hell he'd ever let that little bastard near Kyrie again. "That's how you want to play? All right then." He extended his right arm, hand out flat and a knife appeared out of nowhere. A slightly smug grin exposed the tips of his fangs as he curled his fingers around the weapon. "It's been a while since I've used a weapon, but why not?" The two opponents began to circle warily, looking for an opening in which to strike.

Kyrie raced through the empty corridors, along the path she had memorized. She knew where she was going. All she had to do was get there. It seemed like it took forever until she reached the doors marked 'Power Plant'. She slapped the touchplate next to the doors and waited impatiently as they ground open. The smell of motor oil and machinery was everywhere. She clicked the top of the capsule and tossed it out into the middle of the floor. It expanded with a "BOOF!" to reveal a crate with extensive warnings stenciled all over it. She flipped the lid off, grinning as she pulled out a wad of plastique.

"Ah, the joys of the Internet," she quipped as she began to rig the timer. "Everything from installing an electrical outlet to installing plastic explosives." She worked quickly, worried about what was going on upstairs. She set the timers for twenty minutes, then left the room. When the doors closed, she used a small ki ball to destroy the touchplate and sprinted for the elevators. She had just enough time to get out and warn Piccolo.

Piccolo was enjoying himself. The boy was no slouch in the martial arts and he had actually managed to slash a jagged line across the front of the Namek's tunic. He had been restraining himself in order to give the kid a chance, but he could sense Kyrie had accomplished what she had came here to do and time was short. "Well," Piccolo said, dodging the blade once again. "You're not bad, boy, but I no longer have time to play." The knife in his hand disappeared and the air began to crackle as Piccolo's ki rose higher and higher.

Angered by the perceived insult, Adam charged the larger fighter, only to be slapped aside like an insect. His face was a study in disbelief as he landed on the broken ground, one hand covering his throbbing cheek. "How… What??" he managed to gasp out.

Piccolo's ki rippled around him, random bolts dancing free to scorch the earth beneath him. He looked down at the fallen boy and shook his head. "You're outclassed, boy. It's a terrifying feeling isn't it? You have about as much chance of hurting me as a fly does." Red hot fury pumped through Adam, bringing him to his feet swinging. Piccolo merely dodged all of his attacks, an impassive look on his face. "I could take my time," he said calmly, "Break you down little by little, but I don't think I want to sink to your level." His hand lashed out, and caught the front of Adam's shirt. He brought the boy within centimeters of his face, snarling out, "Kyrie's terrified of you for some reason. I don't know why, nor do I care. But I'll make sure she won't have to be again." He drove his fist up into Adam's rib cage, feeling the bones shattering. The force of the blow sent his opponent flying through the air like a limp rag doll.

"Piccolo!"

He turned at the sound of his name and saw Kyrie racing out of the shattered building. She tripped over a jagged piece of concrete, tumbling to her knees before she could catch herself. "Damn it," he heard her mutter as she scrambled back to her feet. She dusted her hands and ran to him, smiling widely. "I did it!" she proclaimed, throwing her arms around his neck, squeezing tightly. His arms went around her in an effort to keep them balanced and upright. "We've got to—" Her voice broke off with a choking sound and her eyes went wide.

"Doctor…" she gasped, staring at the disheveled man kneeling next to the unmoving body on the ground. "Adam…" Piccolo grabbed her arms and held her fast.

"You've ruined everything," the Doctor hissed. "You ungrateful little bitch! I gave you life, made you what you are, and you went and destroyed it all!"

"You made me!!" Kyrie screamed, straining against Piccolo's hold, wanting nothing more than to put her fist though his face. "You made me a FREAK!! What the hell gave you the right to play God?? Where do you get off?? And not just me, what about all of the others? The ones who were deformed by your experimenting?? And what about Adam? He didn't deserve what was done to him any more than I did. What happened here is YOUR fault!!"

The Doctor chuckled bitterly. "Adam deserved everything! He was perfect! The pinnacle of my work, the culmination of my vision of what the human race should be!!"

"He was nothing but your Guinea pig, you son-of-a-bitch!!!" Kyrie shouted, enraged to the point of tears.

"He was my son!!" the Doctor shouted back. "And you killed him!!" He brought up the pistol that he had been concealing, pointing it straight at Piccolo. "You and that green freak!!" He squeezed the trigger and time seemed to narrow and slow to a crawl.

Kyrie twisted free of Piccolo's hands, and turned slightly, pushing him backward. He stumbled, off balance, and caught his foot on the chunk of rubble that Kyrie had tripped over earlier. He fell backwards, eyes frantic, knowing he couldn't catch himself. "NOOOOO!" his anguished bellow seemed to echo endlessly, imposed over the sound of the gunshot. He could see the bullet's path clearly as it zinged directly for his head.

Piccolo felt Kyrie's ki surge and knew instantly what she was doing. She flickered briefly, reappearing to intercept the bullet's trajectory and he shared her pain when the bullet pierced her flesh. She jerked, like a puppet who's strings had been tugged, her short hair fanning out around her face.

CRACK! CRACK! CRACK! CRACK!

The gun fired four more times, the bullets making her body shudder with each impact. Piccolo couldn't contain the scream building inside, "AAAAUUUUGGGHHHH!!!!!" He crashed to the ground finally, his turban bouncing off his head as time resumed it's normal flow. Almost instinctively, he raised his hand and a massive, white hot ki blast enveloped the kneeling human before he could even react. Kyrie blinked, then began a slow slide to the ground.

Piccolo rolled to the side, managing to keep her from hitting her head on another chunk of concrete. "Kyrie…" he whispered roughly, cradling her face in his hands. Her eyelids fluttered and she tried to smile. He couldn't help but to return it.

"The explosives," she gasped, a trickle of bright red blood escaping the side of her mouth. "Get… away… Hurry…" Piccolo yanked off his cloak, wrapping her tightly in its white folds. He stood, holding her close, and lifted up into the air. Every gurgling breath she took made his heart twist. They were several miles away when the explosion shook the very air around them. Kyrie's mouth curved into a highly satisfied grin.

"Got th' ba-bastards," she said smugly, her words barely audible even to Piccolo's Namek ears. He saw a clearing ahead in the trees and made for it, easing her down to lay in the thick grass. He kept his arms around her, her head resting on his chest.

"Hang on," he said, worry and panic making his voice rough. "Just hang on for a few more minutes, Kyrie. I'll go get some senzu beans, and, and—" She placed a finger over his lips, silencing him.

"I… I don't think so, Piccolo," she said, her eyes shining with tears. She shuddered again, and he grasped her hand tightly.

"Damn it, Kyrie!" he said harshly, fear warring with anger as he knelt there, holding her tightly. "Why did you have to go and do something stupid like that?? Those bullets wouldn't have hurt me all that much!!"

"didn't… know…" she choked out, her fingers spasming against him. Gritting his teeth, he bowed his head to hide the moisture gathering in his eyes. One glistening tear won free and splashed onto her cheek. "oh, oh, no, don't cry… not… not for me…" Her own tears overflowed and the drops of sadness met and merged. She managed to sit up slightly, her hand fisting in the material of his tunic. "I don't regret what I did," she said, her voice strengthening slightly. "I acted to protect the person whom I—" She gasped again, coughing against the blood in her mouth. "I love…" she managed to get out.

"For the love of Kami!" Piccolo closed his eyes, trying to deny cruel fate. "Kyrie… I… I…" She smiled serenely and silenced him with her fingertips again.

"we're… a lot alike you and I," she said, her voice faltering again, so that he had to strain to catch her words. "b-both of us, hiding our feelings, afraid of rejection… Isn't it funny that though we have different hearts, they shared the same dream?"

"yes…" Piccolo said softly, his hand moving to stroke her hair. She smiled again, leaning into his touch.

"I never told you," She closed her eyes briefly, then looked back up at him. "The time I spent with you, I was truly happy. I treasured every moment."

"So did I, kid," he replied. Acting on instinct, he brought his head down and touched his lips to hers. The salt of tears and the coppery tang of blood only added to the poignancy of the gesture. When they separated, he rested his forehead against hers, his antennae brushing her hair.

"My only regret," she whispered, her breathing becoming shallower. Piccolo's arms tightened around her in a futile effort to stave off the inevitable. "I never meant to cause you pain."

"It was worth it," he replied, realizing as he spoke that it was true. If he had never known her, his life would have been static, empty. He would have been going through the motions of his daily routine, but there would have been no joy in it. She had finished the lesson started by Gohan all those years ago. There was no shame in caring for another. Caring liberated rather than enslaved.

"Pic-colo…" she gasped, her breath hitching. He felt her ki dwindling and opened up the link between them, letting her see the revelation he had just had. "I'm glad…just wish…." Her green eyes opened wide, astonished by something only she could see. "didn't end… like this…" Then, she sighed, her eyes sliding shut. One last tear slipped out and landed on Piccolo's hand. With a sound suspiciously like a sob, the Namek warrior clenched his fist around the tiny droplet.

(Author's Notes: Don't lynch me yet!! It's not quite over! Read the epilogue! Oh and Cait ::sly grin:: I never promised a happy ending did I?)