Sharing the Dream

Part Two

Sequel to "Different Hearts, Same Dream"

A Dragonball Z fanfic

By Hana Noir

Kyrie's eyes widened when Piccolo stepped off into the blue sky and she slightly tightened her arms around his neck. She trusted him to hold her though, and remained mostly relaxed. Curiosity compelled her to look around and what she saw delighted her. They were so high in the air that the landscape below was reduced to miniature proportions. They flew over a city that looked like a child's toy complex and she laughed aloud. All the people below had no idea that they were even there.

Piccolo smiled slightly at her innocent enjoyment of the flight. It had been a long time since he had even regarded it as anything other than a means of transportation. He liked to see her reactions to things he thought of as commonplace. It brought back some of the novelty of it all.

"This is great!" she called out, the wind snatching the words away so quickly that only Piccolo's Namekian hearing could have caught them at all. Piccolo nodded, looking for something on the ground below. She looked down as well, wondering what he was searching for. All that was below them was endless miles of dense forest. "By the way, where are we going?"

"To train," was his short reply. She considered that for several seconds then nodded.

"Sounds good to me," she shouted again as they began to descend slowly. They had left the forested area behind and the land below was mostly scrub brush and rocks, without so much as a Kwikee-Mart in sight.

You don't have to shout, Piccolo said mentally, his tone still a bit sour.

Oh yeah, she replied. I forgot about that. Are you still mad at me? Her tone was hesitant as if she was worried about a positive answer. I apologized…

Piccolo could sense the underlying thoughts in her mind. She could shield fairly well, but he was able to bypass her crude mental blocks with ease. She was actually afraid that he was angry with her. He blinked, going beyond that. There was a subconscious fear of rejection lurking deep in her mind; he doubted that she was even aware of it herself. But, it wasn't just rejection in itself that she was so afraid of, it was rejection by someone that she cared about. He shook his head, returning to himself. It wasn't the time or place for this.

He landed in the dried grass, hearing it crunch beneath his feet. "I'm not angry with you," he said aloud as he swung her to the ground. "I'm angry with myself for being caught off guard like that."

Kyrie eyed him suspiciously, then nodded. "Okay. So, we're out here to train, huh?"

"Yes," Piccolo said, his cape fluttering in the warm breeze that stirred the slightly sandy dirt around them. "That and I wanted to start you on some new techniques. There's nothing to distract us out here," he grinned slightly, baring his fangs. "And there's also nothing to be damaged if we get a little rough."

Kyrie began to grin as well, smirking at her friend. "Ooohh… rough, huh?" She stretched a bit and bounced on her heels, before sliding into a defensive crouch. "Bring it on, big boy!" She laughed as they began to spar.

Piccolo held back, in deference to her lower level of power, starting with basic moves. He was smiling as she blocked his roundhouse kick and ducked beneath his reach to deliver a stunning uppercut. He stumbled back a few steps, then rushed at her so quickly that she didn't have time to dodge. He landed his fist in her stomach, and she crumpled, gagging.

"Come on," he said mockingly. "You can do better than that, can't you?" She straightened up slowly, wiping her mouth with the back of her hand. Her green eyes were narrow and angry. Small pebbles beneath her feet began to tremble as she focused her ki. Not bad, Piccolo thought, observing her performance objectively. She's gotten faster at powering up. He blinked his eyes against the stinging grains of dirt whipping through the air. It was almost his undoing. When he opened his eyes again, she was in front of him.

He blocked hastily as she began to punch rapidly. A kick slipped past his defenses to catch him in the ribs and he reflexively clamped his arm down, trapping her leg. She twisted against his iron grip, her free foot glancing off of the side of his face. Piccolo smirked. "What did I tell you about fighting a larger, stronger opponent?" He wrapped both of his hands around her ankle and lifted her overhead. He swung her light body in a complete arc before slamming her face first into the hard soil.

He had leapt back when she impacted, ready for her next attack. But she didn't move from where he had dropped her. Relaxing slightly, he waited for several seconds, but she didn't so much as twitch. The first inklings of concern began to prickle him and he moved closer. "Kyrie?" No response. He knelt down next to her and reached out tentatively. He rolled her over and called again. "Kyrie!"

Her eyes snapped open and a ki ball hit him dead center in his chest. Flung off of his feet by the impact, he landed several feet away. He could see the wicked grin on her face as he shook his head. She was trying to climb to her feet, but it was hard to do so when her leg kept buckling under her.

"I got you good with that one," she said brightly, looking up at him as he loomed over her. He glared down at her, then noticed the odd angle of her leg. "But I'll have to concede this match."

"Why didn't you tell me you were hurt?" he barked, kneeling down next to her again. It looked like the bone in the upper thigh was broken. He reached out, prodding the injury with delicate fingers, watching for her reaction.

"I didn't notice it until I tried to stand," she replied, her eyes slightly glassy. Her voice was level and she remained calm. Too calm, in Piccolo's estimation.

"Are you in any pain?" he asked.

She shook her head. "Not really. Nothing I can't live with. I—" She broke off, staring up at the sky above them. Piccolo grimaced, recognizing the ki of the person streaking toward them.

"Gohan," he stated as the youth landed near them.

"Piccolo-san! I sensed a strange ki…" Gohan's eyes were as wide as saucers as he took in the odd sight before him. Piccolo and a – a girl?! "What happened?"

"I forgot to shield properly," the girl said, grimacing slightly. "I lost concentration. Stupid mistake."

"Never mind that," Piccolo snapped, making Gohan jump slightly. "We need to get you treated."

The girl's eyes widened. "No hospitals!!" she gasped out.

"Piccolo-san," Gohan said quickly. "There's a few senzu beans at home. Do you want one?" Piccolo looked down at Kyrie. Her face was calm, but he could see the sweat beading on her brow. There was also blood running down her face from a cut near her right eyebrow. Gohan's house was also closer than the Tenka.

"What about your mother?" he asked. He knew full well that ChiChi had no great love for him.

Gohan flushed slightly. "She's at Bulma's right now, visiting," he admitted. "She thinks I'm working on a school project." Piccolo couldn't help the knowing smirk that pulled at his lips.

"All right then," he said, the decision made. "Let's get this splinted and we'll go to your house."

"About time," Kyrie groused. "I'd've left ten minutes ago if I could've." Gohan gave her a decidedly odd look, but Piccolo merely grunted as he pulled off his heavy cloak.

"Smart ass," he muttered as he used pieces of his cloak to wrap the injured leg.

"Takes one to know one," she replied cheekily, not seeming to notice the broken bone at all.

"This is too weird," Gohan mumbled to himself, thoroughly confused.

Five minutes later, they landed before the Son residence. Piccolo sat Kyrie down gently in the shade created by the house, leaning her back against the wall, while Gohan ran inside to find the magical healing beans. Piccolo wondered if she were unconscious, her eyes were closed and her breathing was remarkably even. He'd seen grown men, trained martial artists, sniveling like babies from such an injury.

You okay? he asked telepathically, not really expecting an answer.

I've been better, was her honest reply. So, that's Gohan. Nice kid.

You're sure you're not in too much pain? He avoided the topic, unwilling to discuss it.

Her lips quirked up in a sarcastic grin. Yeah, that's one of the nifty little modifications they made to me. Enhanced endorphin system. I've got enough adrenaline and endorphins in my system right now to make me feel almost high. Guess a little thing like a broken bone can't slow the 'perfect soldier'.

Piccolo scowled at that comment, but before he could respond to it, the back door slammed open and Gohan pelted out, carrying a small jar. "I found them, Mr. Piccolo!" He held out the jar to the Namek, grinning.

"Thanks, kid," Piccolo said, tousling his former student's unruly hair. He gazed down at his other student, contemplating. "That bone needs to be set first." Gohan's face turned pasty white.

Kyrie only nodded. "Okay. Do what needs to be done."

Piccolo knelt down next to her, looking over the injury again. "Gohan, hold her down." She gave him an offended look, which was ignored. Gohan swallowed hard and knelt as well, blushing slightly as he grasped both of her wrists. She couldn't help but to grin at the embarrassed boy.

"Sorry," he muttered, avoiding her eyes. He turned his head to stare out over her shoulder, unwilling to watch what his mentor was about to do.

"It's okay, kiddo," she said, closing her eyes and taking a deep breath. She could feel Piccolo's hands grasping her leg, then there was a hard tug and a grinding sensation. She jerked involuntarily but Gohan maintained his tight hold. The pain stabbed, then receded when another flood of endorphins swept through her body. The chemicals made her head swim and her eyes rolled back from the sensation.

"Here," Piccolo's face moved into view and he stuck something into her mouth. Gagging slightly at the taste, she mashed the little bean between her teeth, finally managing to swallow it. Her head cleared instantly and there was a funny tingling sensation in her leg. Piccolo held out a hand to her and Gohan let of her wrists, sitting back on his heel. There was a funny expression on the young boy's face as he watched.

Kyrie reached for Piccolo's hand, letting him lift her to her feet. She stood uncertainly, shifting from foot to foot, testing her legs. She blinked. The injury was completely gone, as if it had never happened. She smiled, then caught Piccolo's frown. Her spirits sank. He was not pleased with something. And she had the feeling that something was her.

"That was a careless mistake on your part," he said, not sparing her from his disappointment. "I don't waste my time training someone who doesn't take my teaching seriously."

She didn't know what to say. Yes, she had lost concentration, but it was still hard to hold sometimes. It was all still so new to her. "I—"

"No excuses," Piccolo snarled. "You need to think about what you want to achieve here. Do you want to be a weak human for the rest of your life??" Gohan's eyes were wide and he tried to make himself as unobtrusive as possible. What in the world was wrong with Mr. Piccolo? He'd never acted like this before. He could sense the anger from his sensei, but it was mixed with a terrible fear as well. Gohan didn't know what to think, so he just listened.

Kyrie's head jerked up at that. Green eyes spitting fire, she lost hold of her temper. "Well, EXCUSE ME for being human! Oh, wait, I'm not even really that, am I??" Her voice grew louder as she went on. "I made a mistake. It's not the first time, and it probably won't be the last time!! If you're looking for perfection, well, you won't find it here. If I'm such a poor student, maybe you shouldn't waste your time with an idiot like me!" She turned and stalked away toward the forest, not even looking back. Piccolo had his head down, so perhaps Gohan was the only one who saw the tears that had gathered in the girl's eyes.