:::Small Warrior:::
Chapter One: A Different Kind of Pain
It was dark and stormy tonight. The rain and lightning didn't give up for a mere second. Much like the pain I was enduring. Why wasn't it going away? It wasn't here last night... why now? Sure, I'd felt some sort of new presence from weeks before... but I'd never thought that I would get ill so suddenly. I leaned over a large body of water of some sort and puked for about the millionth time. Would it ever end?
I managed to drag myself to the cave I knew all too well. If I could call anything on Earth home, this would have to be it. I lay there on the hard cave floor, gasping for as much breath as I could get. The cave was lit with the tiniest amount of light shining through the hole I had made long ago, allowing me to see the entire dim-lit room.
I spotted the small creek trickling down the cave wall and inched my way over there.
So thirsty... I hadn't managed to drink anything this morning, and now I was paying for it each time I puked. I leaned closet to the creek, reaching out with my large green hands to satisfy my thirst, but puked again and felt my guts turn. What was wrong with me? Had I picked up some horrible Earth disease? I leaned back onto the cold stone wall of the cave and let the acids in my stomach build up for another ralphing fit. Something was terribly wrong with me.
I'd been sick before, but never like this... and being the strong fighter I am, you wouldn't think that I would. I heard foot-steps despite the distracting noises of a babbling creek and the booming thunder. "Mr. Piccolo...?" It was Gohan. What in the world was he doing here?
"Mr.... Mr. Piccolo, are you okay?" Gohan ran over to help me out. "I'M FINE!" I roared, "Now why are you here!?" Gohan didn't back off, which just angered me more. "You are NOT fine Mr. Piccolo, I think we should get you to a doctor." I had to suppress a sarcastic snort. "I'm not going to some weak "doctor" with a drill in one hand and scalpel in the other, so you can FORGET that idea." Gohan just sighed. I guess I convinced him. "I felt you ki go way down... I just wanted to make sure you're alright." "Yeah, well I'm fine, so you can leave now." Gohan just rolled his eyes. "Will you PLEASE stop saying that? You're obviously sick..." Angered, I started to stand up, trying to show him that I didn't need his help. "I by no means am --" I felt my legs go weak, wobbling from side to side, and my head start spinning again. With a thud I fell back to the hard cave ground. "Mr. Piccolo!" I closed my eyes feeling nauseous. The spinning in my head wouldn't give in. I groaned in reply to Gohan, and finally blackness clouded my entire sight.
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I awoke to see Gohan staring down at me, his face completely white. I blinked and groaned, even managing to sit upright. As I sat up, I realized that Gohan wasn't looking at me at all, but something else in front of me. Out of sheer curiosity, I looked down. And almost threw up again. "Piccolo... is this what I think it is?" I gulped and nodded my head.
"It's an egg, Gohan." Gohan didn't brake his gaze on the small bluish-white sphere in front of me. "That's what I thought." For one of the first times in my life, I didn't know what to do. I just stared blankly at the shell before me. What was there to do?
Nothing that I knew of for the moment.
All of a sudden Gohan lunged his arm forward pointing at the egg. "Piccolo, LOOK!" I didn't need his warning, I had noticed it too. A large crack stretching across the shell, continually growing. "It's hatching, Piccolo!" I had to force myself not to make some snide remark to him for pointing out the obvious. As I watched, another small crack continued to form along the slick shell.
Some kind of greenish-almond colored goop started to emerge from the small cracks. Then the entire shell gave way, popping open leaving the goop to gush all over the hard rock floor of my cave, like a healing wound re-opened.
I stared long and hard at the disgusting sight, seeing a small light-green figure inside. Cautiously, I reached down to touch the small Namek inside. I gently picked it up, slowly wiping some of the slime off it's face. Gohan's mouth was just SWINGING open. "It... it..." He stuttered, "It's so TINY!" I ignored Gohan, he was just pointing out the obvious again... "What... are you gunna name him?" I couldn't seem to break my stare on the small version of me. "Mr. Piccolo? Did you hear me? What're you going to call him? What's his name?" I pushed another large glop of slime away from under his antenna, causing them to spring up. Careful not to hurt the young creature, I took off my cape and wrapped it around him. "Yes Gohan, I heard you..." Now Gohan raised his head to look at me. "Well, then what?" I thought hard, staring at the young face, it was already starting to open it's eyes... "Kumori." Gohan looked back down at the now-named Namek. "Kumori..." He echoed.
( You liiiiiiiike???? I REALLY hope so! I'm still getting used to writing, I'm more of an artist than anything, so I'm not surprised if this chapter is too short... I have a tendency to do that. I dunno, maybe I don't have enough patience or something. You be the judge... and REVIEW! I may be my own critic, but I have a hard time with this one. And in case you were wondering, "Kumori" is Japanese for "Cloudiness, Cloudy Weather, Shadow". You've just GOTTA love double meanings... BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAA!!! Yeah, anyway, thanks for reading and chapter two should be up soon enough! ~Kitt )