Darkness
Disclaimer- I own EVERYTHING! No, not really. I lied. I own nothing, I'm a poor, pitiful girl who doesn't get to make any money from these stories. * sniffles*
There was a girl who had a fic and Nukey was her name o'- (don't ask me why I put these things here)
*
"Your mother is his sister? So, you're his niece?" Kami asked, leaning against his walking stick.
"I guess that would make me his niece. "
"Why does he want Son Goku?" Piccolo demanded.
"I forget the details, but they kept saying that he was a bad man and that he had destroyed some kind of army…The Red…red something army." Kami sat down at the table, the shock of this story beginning to sink in.
"The Red-Ribbon Army…." He murmured and sighed heavily.
"Yes! That's it! How did you know?" Keket turned to look at him.
"Goku fought that very same army when he was just a boy… but why would anyone bring them back?" Kami's eyes narrowed in frustration.
"I remember hearing about that too," Keket exclaimed, "Momma and the doctor were talking one night, I had sneaked downstairs even though I wasn't supposed to, and the doctor said something about revenge. I didn't know what he was talking about then, but I sure do now…"
"We should tell Goku right away…" Mr. Popo joined in the conversation.
"Keket, how near was Gero to completing this army?" Piccolo asked, ignoring Popo.
"Well, I'm not real sure about that, but right before I ran away, momma kept saying weird things like- 'The time has come...' or, 'it's almost ready Keket'. She really confused me back then, scared me a lot too. Sometimes I wondered if she was crazy, 'cause she said pretty weird things…" Keket yawned loudly after finishing her story.
"The child is tired… and it is late. Goku is probably asleep by now. I hope this can wait 'til morning. We need time to get everyone together." Kami said, watching Keket's eyelids droop and blink slowly.
"Keket?" Piccolo waited until the child turned to look at him sleepily before continuing. "Do you remember where your room is?"
"No…" she answered sheepishly and blushed, "I still haven't learned my way around…"
"C'mon, I'll take you back there and we can finish this in the morning." Piccolo began walking away, assuming that Keket would follow. She did, but groggily.
"Piccolo?" She asked in a tired whisper as she followed him through the hallways.
"Hm?"
"Am I in trouble?"
"For what?" He stopped and turned to look at her.
"For telling you all that stuff in there. Kami looked kind of upset…" She confided, looking a little worried.
"No, you're not. It was good that you told us, now we can be ready for Gero when he comes." Piccolo replied, and continued on with his walk. Keket's worried look melted away and she yawned sleepily again.
"Hey, here's my room. Thanks for bringing me, I would've gotten lost." Piccolo nodded and turned away to walk back to the kitchen. He had a few things he needed to discuss with Kami. A small hand stopped him.
"Wait… can I ask one more favor?"
"What is it?"
"Will you stay until I fall asleep?" Keket looked up at him with huge eyes and a trusting face. 'I swear kids must have a whole group of muscles just for enlarging their eyes.' Piccolo thought with a groan.
"All right…" he sighed, "But make it quick or I'm leaving anyway." Keket nearly jumped for joy as she ran into her room, hopped on the bed and snuggled under the covers.
"Thanks, Piccolo…" She smiled happily as he shut the door and sat on the edge of her bed.
*
Not fifteen minutes later, Piccolo found himself exiting the child's room. She had fallen asleep quickly, and who could blame her with all that had happened today. He made his way back to the kitchen and found Kami there, looking worried.
"Hey old man… we need to talk…"
"I realize that, Piccolo," Kami straightened up tiredly, "This is a lot to take in. I can't believe I didn't sense anything."
"Well, no matter. We know about it now, thanks to Keket." Piccolo took a seat.
"Keket… how do we know she's telling the truth?"
"Why would she lie? Besides, I doubt a child her age could make up a story like that." Piccolo looked towards Popo who was standing nearby, "Popo would you please bring us some water?" Popo nodded and waddled off to the other end of the kitchen.
"That's true, and she looks honest." Kami nodded his thanks as Popo sat a glass of water down in front of the two Nameks.
"First thing tomorrow morning, I'm going to visit Goku and warn him, he can decide how to handle this. Keket did say that the army was after him." Piccolo took a sip of the water and groaned. "I guess we have another battle on the way."
"I'm sure we can stop the Red-Ribbon army, Goku did accomplish it once, and he was only a small boy. We've seven warriors on our side now."
"Yes, I'm sure we can. But I have a …well a bad feeling about all of this. Like there's something else we're not seeing. Something that not even Keket knows about." Piccolo rested his arms on the table and twirled his now empty water glass idly in his hands.
"You are worried for the child…" Kami's sentence was a statement and not a question. Piccolo's eyes narrowed as he looked up at the elder Namek.
"How am I supposed to reply to that? I guess I am, in a way. I just feel that…" Piccolo trailed off and sighed, "I don't know."
"You feel that she needs protection?"
"Yes, but there's something else. I'm just not sure what it is. Like when your looking for something, but it's right in front of your face and you don't realize it… that's what this situation reminds me of. There is something underneath all of this, Kami. And I have to find out what it is…" Piccolo finished and growled low in his throat, annoyed at the fact that he couldn't figure out what he was feeling.
"Speaking of Keket…" Kami motioned to the doorway. Keket stood there, sniffling pitifully. Piccolo had been so involved in conversation that he hadn't heard her. Kami stopped him before he had a chance to get up. "She needs you, she trusts you. Don't let her down. I get the feeling she's dealt with being let down all her life. Just put aside your image for just this once." Kami whispered to the scowling Namek. Surprisingly enough, Piccolo nodded and made his way to the girl.
"P-piccolo?" Keket looked up at him and choked back a cry.
"What are you doing up, kid?"
"I- I had a dream…a nightmare… about the army…and…and…" Keket's voice thickened with emotion until she had to stop talking.
"C'mon, I'll take you back to your room…" Piccolo murmured and picked the child up. She curled into his embrace and continued crying softly. He made his way down the huge hallways, Keket's cries echoing off of the marble walls. "It was only a dream… it wasn't real…"
"It felt so real…" She whimpered as he entered her room and closed the door behind them. Piccolo carefully sat on the child's bed and attempted to put her back under the covers. She protested immediately. "No, no Piccolo…don't leave me! If you leave, the dream will come back!" Keket cried and tightened her grip on his collar.
"Dreams can't hurt you Keket, don't be silly…"
"It wasn't just a dream… I could feel it, I felt everything!"
"Child, it was a dream, just a nightmare." Piccolo smoothed her hair in an attempt to comfort.
"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…" She hiccuped. "Please, just hold me… don't leave me, don't leave me all alone…"
"Shh, I won't… I'll stay here, all right? Until you're safe, I'll stay." Piccolo whispered soothingly into the child's ear and placed her back in bed. He pulled the covers up to her chin and ran a gentle hand across her forehead. "Go to sleep, the nightmare is over now…"
"Piccolo, that's just it… I feel like it's just about to start." New tears spilled from the girl's eyes and she held onto Piccolo's hand so he wouldn't pull away.
"The Red-Ribbon will never touch you, it's not after you. It's after Goku… and we're gonna take care of that."
"But momma said that…"
"I don't care what you're mother said, don't believe her… I promise that neither Dr. Gero or his so called 'army' will ever harm you, all right?" Piccolo stroked her forehead comfortingly and brushed the tears from her small, round cheeks, "No need to cry, little one…"
"Thank you, Piccolo." A smile touched Keket's features and she slowly blinked her eyes. As she drifted into sleep, Piccolo heard her tiny murmurs, "Stay……stay with me….." Finally, the child began to snore softly, overtaken by slumber.
"Sleep well, child. You'll need the rest for tomorrow." Piccolo smoothed bangs from her face one last time and quietly exited the room.
*
Unknown to all inside the lookout, a figure stood outside Keket's window. It's red eyes glowed a shade brighter and then dimmed. Only a slight mechanical whir could be heard as it stealthily crawled through the window and entered the child's room. It watched her chest ride and fall in even patterns as she slept. Slinking toward the bed, it stood and glared down Keket with eyes that were neither dead nor alive.
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A/N- well, there is chapter 5. Maybe a bit too sappy for my tastes, but that's what the people in my head told me to write. And so there is no confusion, this story is an AU. It takes place right before Trunks would show up from the future in the normal timeline and Goku is back on Earth. Pretend that Frieza was killed in the fight on Namek. That is all. Tell me what you think, all right?