Sharing the Dream

Part Three

Sequel to "Different Hearts, Same Dream"

A Dragonball Z fanfic

By Hana Noir

Piccolo stared fixedly at the grass beneath his feet as Kyrie stormed away. The objective part of his mind knew that he had overreacted, but his emotions were in turmoil. There was no way to describe the way he felt when he had knelt next to her unmoving body. He felt the weight of Gohan's confused eyes on him, but he was in no mood to try to explain any of the situation to the boy.

"Mr. Piccolo," he began hesitantly.

Piccolo cut him off brusquely. "I can't deal with this. Let her do what she wants." Power flared and the sudden wind whipped the leaves on the nearby trees as Piccolo shot off into the air. Gohan stared after him for several seconds, curiosity and hurt warring inside of him.

"What in the world is going on here??" Gohan wailed in frustration. He took a deep breath and calmed himself. Maybe Piccolo wouldn't give him answers, but that girl was still around. He'd just ask her. Face determined, he turned and followed the path into the forest that she had taken.

Kyrie didn't notice the thin branches slapping at her or the scratches that were accumulating on her bare skin as she forced her way into the woods. She had been hurt at first, then the anger had swallowed the hurt. Her lips were peeled back from her teeth in a mocking grin as she walked. She had been stupid. Her mistake had been trusting anyone in the first place. So he had saved her a few time, helped her out. Big deal. She'd've been better off packing up her capsule house and moving on when she had first encountered him. She had enough of people lashing out at her for her supposed mistakes. From now on, she was on her own.

She thought of Dende and Mr. Popo a bit wistfully. It would have been nice to say goodbye. But they were Piccolo's friends, not hers. She'd never see them again. So, it really didn't matter after all. She paused, staring up at the enormous trunk of an ancient oak tree. The branches were huge, she thought as she reached for one. Without making a conscious decision, she began to climb. She kept going until she reached the very top of the tree and was rewarded with a stunning view. The forest spread out before her, going as far as the eye could see. Straddling the wide limb, she leaned back against the rough bark and tried to empty her mind.

"Uh, hi."

She swayed, arms windmilling frantically as she tried to keep her balance. "Crap!" She clutched at the limb between her legs and glared at the boy hanging in midair before her. "You shouldn't sneak up on people like that, kiddo."

"Sorry," he said without much sincerity. He floated over to straddle the branch as well, facing her.

"Who are you? And why were you with Piccolo?" he blurted out, his face flushing slightly.

She couldn't help but to smile. "Nosy, aren't you?" He turned even redder, but gave her a determined look. "I'm Kyrie. And you're Gohan. Nice to meet you." She settled back again, closing her eyes. "And to be honest, I don't know what I was doing with Piccolo. I thought he was my friend." Her voice cracked a little on that last word and she quickly cleared her throat. One green eye popped open and she gave him a suspicious one eyed glare. "He didn't send you after me, did he?"

"Uhn-uh," Gohan shook his head. "I wanted to know who you were."

"Well, now you know," she said a bit shortly. "Anything else I can help you with?" He shook his head again, watching her warily. "You should go home, before your mom shows up." She smiled slightly. "I'd hate to be the reason you got in trouble."

"Oh, uh, all right then," Gohan said. He still felt like he was missing a big section of the story, but he could tell that she wasn't going to say anything else. He levitated slowly, then hesitated. "Is there anything I can do?" he asked suddenly.

Kyrie smiled again, this time a bit wistfully. "Not really, kiddo. But thanks for the thought." She closed her eyes and Gohan left silently, wishing that he knew what was going on.

"Piccolo-san!" Dende met the older Namek as he landed on the Tenka. His face was set and angry, making Dende slightly apprehensive. He paused, and looked again. Piccolo was alone. "Where's Kyrie?"

"Gone," Piccolo snapped, brushing past the startled deity and lowering himself to a cross-legged sitting position. His head popped up before Dende could open his mouth. "Don't ask. I don't feel much like discussing it."

"Pic-co-lo!" Dende said with no small amount of exasperation, separating the syllables of the name in an effort to calm himself. "What's going on? Don't tell me you just left her out in the wilderness?!"

Piccolo hunched his shoulders slightly. His subconscious was nagging at him as well, conjuring up images of what could be happening to the girl at this very moment. Dende was just re-enforcing it. Why couldn't he just leave it alone. It was really none of his business, anyway. He ground his teeth at the still palpable waves of confusion and self-doubt that were emanating from the link that he still shared with the girl.

A small hand touched his shoulder softly, making his eyes fly open. "Is it really so hard to admit that you care for her, Piccolo-san?" Dende asked, his own eyes compassionate. Piccolo shrugged off the hand and rose to his feet.

"I could deal with Gohan," he hissed, beginning to pace back and forth like an agitated tiger. "I trained him, served as almost a surrogate father figure. But it's different with the girl. She's not looking for a father. I don't know if I can be what she needs." Dende watched his friend pace, smiling slightly. "Gohan isn't so totally dependant on me either. He has a family, friends, other people he can turn to, depend on. He hadn't been so totally isolated from the world. Kyrie only has me."

"And now she doesn't even have that," Dende pointed out softly. Piccolo's eyes narrowed and he actually snarled wordlessly, fisting his hands so tightly that his pointed nails cut into his palms. "You panicked for a moment didn't you? The enormity of the responsibility was overwhelming, wasn't it?"

Piccolo whirled to face the smaller Namek, face angry and mouth open, ready to deny the statement. Then, he closed his mouth and considered for a moment. Dende had a point. She trusted him completely. When she had been injured today, she hadn't said a word. She'd just let him do whatever he wanted to, secure in the knowledge that he would do what was right. "Goddammit!!" he snarled, resuming his agitated pacing.

The senzu bean had healed the injuries she had, but the emotional upheavals and the riot of chemicals provided by her own body took their toll. When the last of the endorphins dissipated, Kyrie simply crashed. She slept hard, propped against the sturdy trunk of the tree she had climbed. The night air grew chill and dew dampened her skin, but she wasn't the least bit aware of it. She began to dream and when the dreams turned dark and violent, she moaned aloud, shuddering. The part of her mind that was still aware banished the dreams before sliding down into a deeper sleep.

Piccolo had finally relented, and had left the Tenka in search of the girl. He had been aghast when he had found her, sleeping in the top of an old tree. It was at least sixty feet tall and she was perched at the very top. "Little idiot," he muttered, watching over her from the air. He moved closer when she began to shake, worried that she would fall, but she only moaned softly before sinking into a deeper sleep. He closed his eyes and concentrated on their link.

He found his way into her mind easily enough. She was strong, but not very well trained. He intended to remedy that at the first available opportunity. It struck him as slightly strange that her mental representation of herself didn't match her physical appearance. In her mind, at this moment, she was still very much a child. The little girl looked up at him with wide green eyes, hugging a tattered blanket to her narrow chest.

"What do you want?" she asked, her high pitched, child's voice dripping with suspicion. He knelt down to bring his face level with hers. He moved slowly, knowing that she was watching him like a hawk.

"To talk to you," he said quietly.

She shook her head. "You don't talk to me. You just yell at me." She hugged the blanket tighter. "I don't like it when you yell at me."

"I'm not really good at talking to people," Piccolo admitted, able to be honest here. He dropped his head, unable to meet those clouded eyes. "Sometimes I act before I think."

"You hurt me. You're the only person in this world with the power to do that." Her voice was different, older, and he looked up to see her as he was used to seeing her. She stood with her back to him, arms wrapped around herself. He rose to his feet, uncertain what to do or say next. "I wonder if you care enough for me to allow me to hurt you? Have you ever let anyone get that close to you? Do you ever get lonely, Piccolo?"

"I didn't think so," he replied. "I was always the loner, the person who didn't need anyone. But I know now that's not true." He sighed softly. "Now, I don't know what I want anymore. When I'm alone, I want to be with the people I consider my friends. But when I'm with my friends, I want to be alone."

"It's hard sometimes," she said, turning to face him, her green eyes candid. "I know. I've been there. It's hard to know how to act, what to say. Sometimes I act in ways that other people don't find appropriate. I can't help it. That's just the person I am. If I had grown up normally, I wouldn't be like that, I'd know what to say and do. But I'm having to learn as I go along. You're the same way." She gave him a tentative smile. "And you're used to denying your emotions, aren't you? Show no weakness. That's all you ever knew."

"Yes." He relaxed slightly, his arms dropping to his sides. "And you came along and saw right through all that, didn't you?"

"If there's one thing I've learned in life, it's to never judge based on appearance. I know all too well that just because someone looks nice, that doesn't mean they are," she replied

"Life dealt us both a pretty sorry hand, didn't it?" he asked rhetorically.

She shrugged. "Yeah, but if you dwell on it, and let it make you bitter, then it's beaten you. That's why I try not to let it get to me."

"I was scared," Piccolo said suddenly. She stared at him, astonished by the admission. "I thought for a second that I had lost you again."

She smiled, this time a bit sadly. "But don't you see? By lashing out, you lost me anyway. So what's the difference? Death or distrust, they're both final."

"No!" he growled, reaching out to grasp her shoulders. "Don't say that!"

"Why not? Can you honestly tell me it won't ever happen again?" she asked relentlessly. His hands fell away and he turned his back to her, pierced by her words.

"No… no, I can't…" he whispered brokenly. A small hand rested gently on his arm, exerting light pressure to turn him to face her again. She stood before him, staring up at him in silence. Her eyes searched his face for what seemed like an eternity.

"It's all right," she said, her voice soft. She reached up, stretching up on her tiptoes so that she could place her hands on either side of his face. He flinched slightly as her warm palm cupped his cheeks. The contact strengthened the bond between them, making words unnecessary. Their eyes closed simultaneously and Piccolo's hands found their way to circle her waist, holding her steady against him. I understand…

There was something soothing in her spirit, he thought, savoring the sensations as their minds met and united in a complete and total sharing. I, too, understand at last, he spoke mentally. He felt almost bereft when she lowered her hands from his face.

"It's almost dawn," she said, that gentle smile still on her face. "You should wake me now. I'm ready to go home."

(Author's note: Anyone interested in being on a mailing list for update notification needs to email me. If you've already done so, please email me again or just do a review and tell me. If your review is anonymous, please don't forget your email addy! My mail server changed over and I lost all my emails, address book and everything . So, please drop me a line at hana_noir@planetnamek.org Thanks all! Hope you like it so far!

Also, thanks to Catesith18 for beta reading for me. Great job on your own fics, girl!! ^_^ Go and check out her stories, you won't be sorry!)