Sharing the Dream
Part Four
Sequel to "Different Hearts, Same Dream"
A Dragonball Z Fanfic
By Hana Noir
She woke slowly, blinking her eyes and yawning widely. Then, everything that had gone on the day before came back to her and she sat bolt upright. Only her legs wrapped around the tree limb saved her from falling.
"Bloody hell…" Kyrie whispered, staring at the brooding figure before her. "I wasn't dreaming, was I?"
"No," he answered, his deep voice strangely hesitant.
She stared at him, head tilted slightly, considering. "You know, I should act all mad and stuff, pull a guilt trip on you." She grinned then. "But I don't want to do that." She shook her head. "I don't think we're ever going to go very long without arguing. How about next time we get pissed at each other, we step back and wait before we shoot off our mouths?"
"Sounds good," he agreed, a slight smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. She shivered in the dawn breeze, rubbing at the goosebumps that popped up all over her exposed skin. A length of heavy white cloth landed over her head and she struggled out of it, eyes wide with astonishment. She couldn't help but to smile as she wrapped the warm, soft material around her shoulders. She inhaled deeply, the slightly spicy scent that she had come to associate with Piccolo surrounding her. "Ready to leave?"
She nodded, unable to speak. She slowly got to her feet, muscles protesting after spending all night in one position. He moved to her side, hesitating slightly before reaching for her. She wound an arm around his neck, nuzzling her face into his shoulder. He stiffened slightly at the feel of her skin against his, then pulled her closer.
"You're going to teach me to fly eventually, right?" she asked mischievously as they rose over the trees. He nodded, thinking to himself that he'd miss using that as an excuse to hold her.
"Among other things," he replied absently, cruising slowly so that he could draw out the moment. The sky was brightening all around them, turning the clouds all sorts of fantastic colors. It was quite beautiful and the day promised to be a gorgeous one.
She lifted her free hand to brush aside the strands of hair that the winds of their passage had tossed into her face. Then, without really thinking, she reached out a curious finger to trace the almost delicate curve of Piccolo's pointed ear. He shivered convulsively, almost dropping her.
"Wh - what the hell are you doing??" he gasped, breath escaping in short pants. He had never felt anything like that in his entire life. The simple touch had almost made him go weak in the knees. Eyes wide, he stared at the girl in his arms, wondering what had just happened.
"I'm sorry!" she burst out, a blush spreading across her cheeks. "I – I didn't mean to do anything wrong!" He shook his head, making sure his hold on her was firm, then put on a burst of speed and headed for the Tenka. Hopefully, he'd make it there before anything else weird happened.
Dende grinned widely when the two arrived at last. Mr. Popo said something about making tea and disappeared, while the young Kami waited to greet the pair. He gripped his wooden staff tightly as Piccolo landed, then hurried over to greet them.
"You found her!" he exclaimed with delight. Kyrie grinned as well, reaching a hand out to grasp Dende's. The Namek gasped aloud when he touched her. It was the oddest thing, but he could sense Piccolo through her! He eyed the older warrior uneasily, but Piccolo remained inscrutable.
I wonder if either of them realize what's happened? Dende wondered. Maybe Piccolo does… He shook off his concerns and welcomed them back cheerfully. Whatever the situation, he liked the human girl and was glad that nothing had happened to her.
"I've tea ready," Mr. Popo announced, smiling widely. "And I've prepared a small meal for you, miss." He was quite fond of the girl that Piccolo had found and enjoyed her company when gardening. She brought a bit of cheer to the Tenka.
"Thank you," Kyrie said, bending slightly to give Popo a quick hug. "I'm starved!" She smiled at all of them as they went inside. Piccolo nursed a glass of water as she ate, grimacing slightly when Dende offered him a cup of tea. Nameks needed nothing but water to survive, but he had discovered that he liked the taste of tea. And as he suffered no ill effects from drinking it, he joined Mr. Popo for a cup every afternoon. His assistant was quite fond of 'tea time', and having someone to enjoy it with made it that much better. So Dende observed the pair over the rim of his tea cup, considering the new turn of events.
His mind wandered, pondering over stories that he had been told by the Eldest Namek. Long, long ago, before the cataclysm that had almost destroyed their planet, there had been two genders in their species. But, after the events that almost destroyed their world, only Saichourou had been left. Determined not to let their race die out, he had found a way to reproduce asexually. Therefore, all Nameks were virtual clones of each other. Personalities may have differed from Namek to Namek, but on a genetic level they were all but identical.
It was rare, but from time to time Nameks did pair off. It was more a matter of compatible personalities than any sort of physical attraction, but the pair usually acted as mates; living together and sharing the care and education of any offspring either of them produced. Those so paired always shared an unusually strong mental bond as well. It was regarded as a bit odd by the others around them, but not at all taboo.
There had been such a pair in the village that he lived in, Dende remembered suddenly. Stihl had been a warrior, a strong and cunning fighter and one of the village protectors. Ahdri, his bondmate, was the exact opposite; a quiet, almost shy person who enjoyed working with the children and tending the Ajisa plants in the fields around the village. They had seemed quite happy together.
"— gone cold, sir." Mr. Popo's voice broke into his thoughts and he looked up, blinking in surprise. Piccolo was giving him an odd look as well.
"I beg your pardon?" Dende asked, surprised that he had been so lost in his thoughts.
"Your tea's gone cold, I said," his assistant repeated, gesturing at the cup Dende held cradled in his hands.
"So it has," he said softly, sitting it down.
Piccolo rose to his feet with an amused snort. "If you're going to be spacing out any longer, we may as well do something constructive with our time." He gestured for Kyrie to join him and strode out the door. Kyrie shrugged, grinning wryly and followed him.
"Is there anything wrong, sir?" Popo asked, concern evident in his voice.
"I… don't really know, Popo," Dende replied slowly. "There's something at work here that I don't quite grasp. Something that may, in time, prove to be of vital importance."
Piccolo folded his long legs and settled down on the polished floor as if to meditate, pointing to the spot directly across from him. Kyrie sat down as well, mimicking his position. "I'm going to use a mental transfer to teach you how to fly," he said. "And while we're at it, to teach you a few other things as well." She nodded, waiting for his lead. He stretched out his right arm, hand facing her. "Place your hand against mine." She brought up her left arm and placed her smaller hand to his palm. Without conscious decision, their fingers intertwined, bringing their hands closer together.
Clear your mind, and concentrate on me, she heard in her mind. She nodded again, her eyes sliding closed as she began to block out the world around them. Her focus narrowed down to two points, his mind against hers and the warm contact of their joined hands. Her breathing was steady and slow, and Piccolo nodded in approval, his own eyes losing focus as he stared at an invisible point above her slightly bowed head.
Dende came out to watch them, aware of the mental exchange going on. He could dimly sense it, but not well enough to know what they were doing. It was like listening to a radio in another room; he could hear the tone but the sounds were indistinguishable. Mr. Popo joined him a few minutes later, broom in hand. With only a brief glance at the immobile pair, he began his daily chore of sweeping the tiles.
A miniscule rise in their ki made Dende look back. There was a faint yellowish glow surrounding Piccolo, echoed by a similar glow, purplish in color, around Kyrie. In perfect synchronization, their bodies rose to hover slightly above the tiles. A small smile pulled at the corner of Piccolo's mouth, while a look of determined concentration wrinkled Kyrie's brow.
Dende lost interest several hours later when he realized that nothing else of interest was going to happen and he walked over to the edge of the platform to gaze down at the world below. A familiar ki was heading in the direction of the Tenka and he grinned in anticipation. It had been a while since he had seen his friend Gohan. No doubt he had sensed the fluctuations in Piccolo's ki and was coming to investigate.
Minutes later, Gohan landed on the alabaster tiles, looking around suspiciously. "Hello, Dende," he said, seeming somewhat distracted.
"Is something wrong, Gohan?" Dende asked with a bit of concern.
The other boy shook his head. "No, not really. I just sensed…." His voice trailed off when he caught sight of Piccolo and Kyrie floating above the floor. "Oh," he said, frowning slightly.
"You met Kyrie yesterday, didn't you, Gohan?" Dende asked, watching his friend's reaction. The half-Saiyan nodded, eyes hidden by his thick fall of bangs.
"Who IS she, Dende?" he finally blurted out, unable to contain his curiousity any longer.
Dende smiled; he could tell that Gohan was slightly jealous. But he also knew that it wasn't in the other boy to stay that way for every long. He was more curious than anything else. "It's a long story," Dende hedged. Piccolo really ought to be the one to explain all this to Gohan. Besides, he didn't really want to let slip any of his half formed theories at this point in time. The obstinate look on Gohan's face, however, told him that the boy wasn't going to leave without answers.
"Mom's asleep," Gohan muttered, scowling slightly. "The baby kept her up all last night."
Aha, thought Dende. That's the main part of the problem. His mother, who's always been his alone, is distracted by the new child. And Piccolo, who's always been his only friend, has a new friend. Gohan's worried that everyone's forgotten about him. For all his power, he's still only a child, with a child's feelings and reactions.
Before he could say anthing else, a burst of laughter distracted him. He looked over at Piccolo and Kyrie and saw the amused grin still on her face. A smaller version pulled at Piccolo's mouth as well. She opened her eyes and they slowly drifted back down to the floor. Still holding her hand, he stood, pulling her to her feet.
"Think you've got it?" he asked, a hint of challenge in his tone. She smirked, focusing her ki and rising until her feet were even with his head. He snorted. "Anyone can hover," he said gruffly, secretly amused.
She returned to the floor and glared up at him, eyes merry. Her hands rested on her hips and she retorted, "Well, if something is wrong with my technique, who's fault is it? I got it straight from you."
Piccolo snorted. "Don't get cocky. You know the basic technique, but you need to practice to refine it. When you've reached the point where it comes to you as naturally as breathing, then you've gotten it."
She turned away from him. "Why don't we—" She broke off when she noticed Gohan standing there next to Dende. I think someone's looking for you and he's not happy, she finished mentally. Poor little guy. Piccolo was surprised by the degree of her empathy and looked over at his former student. He had to agree with her assessment. He was startled when she nudged his arm surriptiously. Why don't you go and spend some time with him? I'll just putter around here, work on my flying.
He shot her an annoyed look. Stay above the Tenka. If you should go over the edge and lose control… He trailed off, unable to finish.
The look she gave him was every bit as bad. What do you think I am, brain damaged? Or just stupid? I do have some common sense.
Precious little, he retorted sourly. Her mouth fell open and she swatted at him. Ask Dende to help you.
"Fine, fine," she said aloud. "I'll just see you later then." She spun on her heel and headed back into the building. Piccolo made eye contact with Dende and he nodded, comprehending the unspoken request.
"I've got a few things to do," Dende said, patting Gohan on the shoulder. "I'll see you later, okay?" Gohan nodded, still watching Piccolo silently.
"C'mon, kid," Piccolo said as he strode past the boy. "I need a decent spar." The tall Namek stepped off the Tenka, his cape billowing out behind him. Gohan hesitated for a second, then a wide grin split his face and he jumped off after him.
