Mind Games – Part Five

A Dragonball Z fanfic

By Hana Noir

Kyrie recovered quickly enough from the concussion and learned to block more effectively as a result. They sparred frequently, Piccolo correcting her flaws and pointing out the errors in her techniques as they went along. After each sparring session, they meditated, then Kyrie would eat and bathe. She napped whenever she felt the need but tried to stay awake as much as possible.

Piccolo finally seemed satisfied with her shielding and had progressed to teaching her how to attack an unshielded mind. "It's mostly visualization," he explained as they both sat, indian-style, on the cold tile floor. She listened intently, head slightly tilted. "I'm going to lower my shields, and I want you to concentrate on my mind." He took a deep breath and she became aware of what seemed like a sub-vocal buzzing. She focused and the buzzing cleared into words, a stream of conscious dialogue.

"I hear your thoughts!" she said, slightly amazed. She had never picked up on his mental activities this clearly. She usually only heard him if he was specifically communicating with her.

He nodded. "That's because I'm not shielding. Now, visualize a needle. See it in your mind. Make it as clear as possible." Her eyebrows knitted together as she tried her hardest to comply. "When you have it, imagine it jabbing my mind." Her face took on an even deeper look of concentration as she obeyed. Piccolo flinched slightly and she 'heard' the small exclamation of pain. A grin of triumph wiped away the frown, only to be replaced seconds later by a look of extreme pain. Gasping, she clutched at her throbbing head.

Piccolo sat there with a malicious smirk, his shields firmly restored. "Don't think a successful first attempt makes you an expert. It'll take time and effort to become that. See how quickly I retaliated with a stronger attack?" Eyes watering, she nodded, looking properly chastened. "You need to practice, become faster with the attack. It'll take time, but we have that here. By the time we leave, I want you to be fully trained. Understand?" She nodded grimly. "Now, let's spar, and remember to keep your shields up. Try the mental attacks as you're able."

By the time they were finished, Kyrie was wishing for an aspirin the size of a VW Bug and a cheeseburger. The food provided by the Room was filling and nutritious, but hardly satisfying. She lay back on the tile, staring up at the whiteness above, her stomach growling loud enough to cause Piccolo's ears to twitch.

"Shouldn't you do something about that?" he asked finally, unable to tolerate the grinding noises from her gut any longer.

"I suppose," she said lazily. "But what I want, I can't get here. Once we're out, I'm heading for the nearest burger joint. I want a bacon cheeseburger like crazy!" She licked her lips at the thought. "And the biggest hot fudge sundae ever created, with whipped cream, chopped pecans, and two cherries on top!" He made a sour face at her descriptions. She reciprocated by sticking her tongue out at him. "You've no idea what you're missing out on."

"Whatever…" he muttered, closing his eyes again as he tried to meditate. She landed on him squarely, knocking him flat on his back and driving the air out of his lungs with an audible whoosh. Gasping, he glared up at her where she straddled his waist.

"I'm booored!!" she announced, grinning down at him. "All we've been doing lately is training, training, training. Let's do something else!"

"Like what?" he growled, waving at hand at the blankness surrounding them. "It's not like there's a wide selection of activities here." She frowned down at him, pouting slightly. His hard gaze never wavered.

"You're right," she said slowly, swinging her leg over his chest and standing. "There isn't anything else to do here…" She turned and walked off toward the small living area, her shoulders slumped slightly.

Piccolo scowled at her departing form. Damn it, now she was making him feel guilty. It wasn't his fault there was nothing else to do here. What did she think this was? A vacation?? He screwed his eyes shut and crossed his arms, trying to clear his mind to meditate. After a while it became painfully obvious that he wasn't going to succeed. With an oath of exasperation, he surged to his feet and went in search of the annoying girl.

He found her in the bathroom, contemplating the Jacuzzi in the corner. "If it were a little bigger," she said, not even bothering to turn around and look at him, "it'd be a regular swimming pool. I like to swim. It was one of the few activities I was allowed." She jumped, startled, when water began to gurgle into the deep pit.

"Strip," Piccolo commanded, already in the process of pulling his tunic over his head. "And get in." Her eyes were wide as saucers as she complied, folding her clothes neatly as she undressed and sitting them on a shelf next to the door. Piccolo was already in the hot tub by the time she finished with her clothes, watching her from beneath half closed lids. She didn't realize how attractive she was and her lack of physical modesty was intensely arousing. She moved with instinctive grace, the muscles in her arms and legs rippling sinuously as she walked to the side of the Jacuzzi. She perched on the edge, dipping her feet into the rising water.

"Just right," she said with a happy sigh, sliding down onto the shelflike seat. The water lapped at her waist and she leaned back, resting her head on the lip. Piccolo continued his covert study as she made herself comfortable. The water was still filling the tub, lapping at the underside of her creamy breasts now. He felt a familiar stirring at that observation. He had been so focused on their training that he had resisted the urges of his body after the first time they'd had sex. It hadn't been easy; her tentative, easily avoidable advances had only encouraged the primal urges of his traitorous body. Meditation and mental training were not a problem, but whenever they sparred, she seemed to find a thousand opportunities to brush against him. Sparring with her had become a challenge in more ways than one.

Perhaps, he thought as the warm water began to relax him, his mistake had been in completely denying the both of them. And it had also been a gross oversimplification to think that because his body had gone without sex before, it could do so again. It had been easy before because he hadn't known what he was missing out on. Now he did, and his body found a hundred different ways to remind him of it. He ground his teeth in frustration, knowing she was only an arm's length away and probably more than willing. But one of the disadvantages of her increased mental talent was the fact that he could no longer easily sense what she was thinking or feeling.

For Kyrie's part, she was wondering if perhaps Piccolo had decided that a physical relationship wasn't what he wanted with her. She had tried so many times to get his attention but all of her shy attempts had met with studied indifference. Lately, she hadn't even tried at all, too discouraged by his aloof manner and fearful of another rejection. Maybe he hadn't even enjoyed it as much as she thought he had. The cavernous tub had finally filled and the jets whirred to life, swirling the water around them, creating a small whirlpool in the center of the water. Kyrie exhaled softly as the currents pushed the water over her sore body, her legs beginning to float upward, buoyed by the bubbling water. Something brushed against her foot and she moved her legs to the side, not even bothering to open her eyes. They had been working hard for at least five or six hours today; or she thought that's how long they had trained. It was hard to be sure with no way to tell time. In any case, all she wanted was to relax, rest her mind and body.

Piccolo's eyes were closed as well. The closest he'd ever come to sitting in a Jacuzzi had been to meditate beneath a roaring waterfall. This was much more preferable, he decided. Something brushed against his knee, accompanied by a sense of sad longing, and he opened one eye. Of course, he thought, noticing Kyrie sitting across from him. It had been her foot that had brushed against him. She must have her shields relaxed. He opened his other eye as well, studying her carefully. There were dark circles under her eyes, evidence of a lack of sleep, and he couldn't be sure through the obscuring water but he thought that she was losing a bit too much weight. There was a sad tilt to her mouth that he didn't like either. He knew that she hadn't been sleeping much, only catching catnaps when her body protested the constant abuse. The one time he had mentioned it to her, she had snapped at him that she was fine. He hadn't brought up the subject again.

The force of the water increased, pushing at their bodies. Kyrie actually shifted a few inches along the bench before stopping again. When she didn't so much as open her eyes, he realized that she had fallen asleep. Good thing I'm in here, he though sourly. Stupid kid, does she want to drown? He moved to sit next to her, bracing her with his own body. She mumbled something and curled closer to his side, her arms going around his waist. He ground his teeth as his body immediately reacted. He slid a careful arm around her narrow shoulders, holding her closer. Her head rested on his chest, her soft breathing chilling his damp skin.

I didn't mean to push you away… The thought was out before he realized it, and he waited with baited breath to see if she would notice. She stirred slightly, her arms tightening around him before relaxing again.

miss you… The wistful though was almost soft enough to be inaudible, but he caught it.

"I'm such a fool," he muttered aloud. "Wake up," he said louder, shaking the girl at his side. She blinked heavy eyes, protesting when he shook her again.

"What??" was her slightly whiney response. Then it seemed to dawn on her where she was and her head came up abruptly. "Piccolo?"

His arm tightened on her shoulders as she tried to pull away, holding her fast. "I've been sitting here thinking," he began in a contemplative tone. "And I've realized something." She flinched slightly, sure that he was going to say everything between them had been a mistake. "I'm an idiot sometimes." She stared at him, eyes wide in disbelief. He scowled, staring down at the frothing water. "I'm – I'm not very good at talking about how I feel. Even worse at showing it." He paused, a dark flush staining his chiseled cheekbones. "I focus on whatever I'm doing to the exclusion of everything else because it really doesn't occur to me that there might be anyone else who gives a damn about me or what I'm doing." His scowl deepened and he glanced over at her. "I'm used to being alone."

She opened her mouth to say something, but he silenced her with a finger to her lips. "Let me finish," he said sternly. "I was used to being alone. I've found that I like being around others now. Gohan, Dende," he hesitated again. "You. I've been keeping you at arm's length lately, and I – I apologize for that, Kyrie." She blinked her eyes, fighting the tears that were rising, reaching up to wrap her arms around his neck. His arms wound around her waist, holding her firmly against him.

"I – I thought that maybe you, well, regretted having sex with me," she said softly, her chin resting on his shoulder.

He actually laughed, causing her to pull away and stare at him in astonishment. He looked down at her, a genuinely amused expression on his face. "I've regretted a few things in my life but not that."

"But why--?" she paused, bewildered by his actions.

"Because I'm an idiot," he repeated, a hint of exasperation creeping into his tone. "I don't like admitting it, but I'm trying to clear up the misunderstanding we seem to be having. I thought that our relationship would cause problems with our training. I thought wrong."

She grinned at him, green eyes sparkling with mischief. "I seem to recall telling you once that you think too much."

"You don't think enough sometimes," he retorted, catching her chin in his fingers. Pulling her face closer, he kissed her gently.

"Thinking's overrated," she purred smugly, moving her leg over to straddle his lap. His eyes widened and his entire body jerked at the contact.

"I think you may have a point," he replied in a slightly strangled voice as she reached to kiss him again.