DragonBallZ: When Dreams Become Reality
Chapter 11 written by Noble....
"Your going to what?!" gasped Nioki.
"You heard me the first time, I'm going to teach you how to fly" stated Piccolo matter of factly.
"But why?"
"Because it's the only gift I can give you for Christmas. I know that Christmas is the most important season of the year and presents given to one another are supposed to be special and being honest, I couldn't think of a more special gift I could give you".
"...Really?"
"Really, really" he answers nodding, half smirking.
Indeed, Piccolo's choice of Christmas gifts were well thought out, if not a little extreme. But the truth of anything is that the young teenager had not even a penny to his name to buy Nioki a single Christmas gift. He lived in the wilderness since the age of 5 training relentlessly, achieving a higher frame of body and mind using them both as one and just a day or so before deciding to reinduct himself within humanity did he go a level higher then his natural state, to the form of a Super Saiyan as he calls it. He never would have found out that he was both saiyan and namekian if not for the terroists, and even though he hated the findings of his origin. He at least had to accept what he was and live with it. There was no other choice in the matter. Trying to be something that your not was never Piccolo's way. He couldn't deny being nothing more than a lab experiment and even though at times it saddened him greatly, to know he had no family or relatives. He knew it did not matter. Nioki was his one and only so far friend, that trusted and respected him for what he was regardless of the fact he wasn't even human.
But that was 2 years ago, at that time when he returned to humanity he was only 13. A simple age of a teenager and he had achieved and excelled to higher ranks of the warrior code thanks to the dna of ancient warriors that flow through his veins. 13 years old and he had to handle the shocking truth about his origins and somehow stay sane after the whole ordeal. How Piccolo managed that was anyone's guess....if most people found out that they were born in a test tube, they probably would have gone into shock for the rest of their lives, or perhaps insane. But somehow the youth had managed to surpass both shock and insanity and move on and to this day he still wonders how he could continue living as if everything was normal, that his origins meant so little to him now.
If anything, it was his pride and duty stopping him from ending his own life. His own selfless oath to serve and protect innocents that were weaker than him that needed protecting. The death of Victor Torez, a life he could have saved always remains forever imprinted in his mind. A reminder, a lesson learned all too quickly that one life is just as important as many others that should always be protected and cherished. it does not matter to Piccolo if he knows the innocent or not, nor does he care if they hate or fear him. Their safety to him is all that matters. The welfare of those that populate the globe are all that matters to him and he will fight to his dying breath to protect the planet and his people.....no matter the cost.
The routine to his daily tasks however were no different then what he faced in school. Learning the teachings of the world was one thing, scowering through the endless skies in search of trouble and danger was another. His teachings were important to him, but saving lives was vastly more important. The warrior was doing what so many hundreds and thousands of soldiers and sea men do during half of their life. Working without the benefits of getting paid of course, but money was a couple of steel coins branded in gold and silver. No useless amount of green paper was worth as much as the value of a human life. The safety of the people Piccolo saved daily was the only reward he desired. Whether it was by saving them from natural disasters such as; volcanoes, earthquakes or even tornadoes. Piccolo was always up to the challenge and faced the destructive powers of mother nature head on, throwing caution to the winds. Mother nature had always been his enemy and never his friend, such was the way of the invisible foe that threatened countless other lives daily.
But sadly despite all the awesome powers that he could wield, the young hybreed couldn't be everywhere at once. Unable to stop even more gruesome tasks caused not by natures elements, but by man itself. Not everyone living on the planet is infact an innocent. In this day and age too few of us really notice how many of us walk amongst the guilty. Our world is full of such sick individuals that not even the government or the police do much of anything to stop them. Muggers, terroists, psychotics, rapists, pimps and drug dealers. These are only a select few that cause so much pain and misery to the world over. The familes of those that experience living through these times are the only ones who really know what true pain is like; to discover that one day, your loved ones, the children you fought so hard to raise into a good family have made their way into the perverse times of today. Selling their bodies for cash, working for pimps just to get laid and to get their pay, regardless if the amount of money was worth the desicration of the human body, to be toyed around and played with like a toy. obeying the orders of what their clients want and what their bosses expect of them to do.
How hard is it for a mother to answer her front door one day just to hear from the policemen that her daughter had died from a drug overdose or that she was raped and then murdered? The grief that follows is somewhat unbearable and unreal, too hard to let go of and yet with the grief it turns to anger and rage and then into a mixture of sorrow and tears. This is what Piccolo pictures in his mind constantly every day. Knowing that one day he saved the lives of a few hundred, only to see in a newspaper report that some girl died from an overdose supplied from her dealer. The responsibility, the need to be everywhere at once grows inside of him with each passing day. Knowing that he could do so much more, save countless more lives from the harsh reality of the world today. But unfortunetly with life.....that's just the way it is and how it has always remained. People live and people die and no one can really tell when were going to kick the bucket, it's all a question of fate and timing. Fate chooses who lives and who dies, regardless of the fact if that person or persons refuse to give up, to die so easily, so unfairly. We all exist for some reason or other for someone else's amusement and thats why life is so unfair, because no matter how much we want it to change and for it to be perfect as the way we want it to be, it just will never happen.
Society doesn't care what other people do anyway, law and order these days means so little. Nothing but a bunch or words written down for all of humanity to obey. But who really obeys what another person says? The people who just want to live out their lives as normally as possible are the ones that tend to listen; teenagers who go through school and college, graduate and go looking for a job and in years ahead find their supposed soul mate and buy a house and build a family. This is just your typical example of an ordinary male or female that goes down this road. This kind of person does things by the book, doing what he or she wants but all the while obeying the law and looking forward to the future, for the benefit of our children and their childrens children.
But what about the other half of humanity that doesn't want to follow rules and obey the law? With every answer to a question their will indefinetly be a problem. In life their are always two sides to a story, like the never ending struggle between good and evil. Those who choose not to obey societies law go down a different path. The path of those that believe doing what they want is the right way. Taking drugs, stealing, kidnapping, murdering. These are the individuals who believe that society made up a bunch of rules because it was scared, that if there was no order over the planet then there would be chaos and destruction. To this day there is always chaos and destruction in some form or other. And no matter how much closer we get to stopping it, somehow it starts again. Going over the same patterns over and over in an endless cycle. Life? Death? It continues to surround us as it always has since time began, we can't stop it indenfinetly but that doesn't stop us from trying. We all have a path to take whether it is the right one or not. We just have to live with the decisions we make and learn from them, becoming wiser, knowing that the path that each individual takes will be as that person choose it. And as for Piccolo, he knows the path he has chosen is the right one and none will waver him from his mission.
Protecting the innocent and punishing the guilty may be Piccolo's personal mission in life, but for now, the mission had to wait. He couldn't exactly turn down Nioki's offer, even he as this planets protector had to rest once in a while, a couple of days vacation with Nioki and her family would probably help him to get to know her parents better and possibly make him feel less tense around certain people. But the question that was spinning around in Piccolo's mind as he walked Nioki to her house, escorting her home, was 'Did her parents know what he was?'
Looking to his left and at her it's a possibility that she did. Nioki throughout the whole day was more relaxed then he was and showed no signs of looking tense or worried. Strange as it was, why did it seem like taking him to see her parents for a Christmas get together was completely normal?! He would have to ask her that later on in the days ahead when she begins her training on learning how to fly.
The gathering unexpectedly did turn out to be as normal as he suspected, her parents Mr and Mrs Hiroshi were acting all friendly and polite, welcoming him with open arms like he was an actual member of the family. The second time in Piccolo's life that he was accepted by others that did not fear him, like Nioki herself. They talked as much as they could, asking Piccolo all sorts of questions while showing him about the household, trying to make him feel less tense and more comfortable. It didn't take the young warrior a second guess to know who knew how he felt about being around new people. Nioki had known him now for a good 2 years or so and it seemed like everything Piccolo ever did was blaintly obvious to the young female, like he was an open book that she had red and observed with scrutinizing eyes. His personality, how he acted, what his likes and dislikes were, she had been one step ahead with preparing everything for the Christmas gathering and anticipated his every action. Smiling inwardly the young warrior begins to wonder if Nioki would be able to anticipate his movements when sparring. Perhaps she could...
2 years ago when Nioki first saw him train, her eyes always seem to be so wide with shock and boggle with awe as she watched him intently, never fully able to detect his movements as he phased from one area to the next so much faster than human eyes could see. But as the days went by and turned into months, he was so certain that even as he moved as fast as he possibly could, he could always feel her eyes on him, watching intently, curiously as he trained feverishly while in his spare time. there was no doubt in his mind that she had his moves and actions memorized without fault, but she would be nowhere near his level of power that's for sure. No one would.
Mr and Mrs Hiroshi were just as interested in him as Nioki was. Asking him questions on end while eating the family meal that they had prepared for all 4 of them together at the table, chatting to one another intrigued. So it was true, Nioki did tell them about his strange abilites and upbringing and not once did they say a harsh word against him, infact they were more than grateful for Piccolo being inducted within the same school grounds as Nioki was. If it wasn't for him, their baby girl would have died, killed by the terroists that held them and the entire student body hostage. They inturn were eternally grateful for him being there and could do nothing more then invite him to join them for the Christmas season. After all it was Nioki's idea in the first place and it seems like her parents had readily agreed with her wishes.
However just as the meal finished and Piccolo was about to excuse himself, not one for being impolite about staying any longer than neccessary. He thanked Nioki's parents for their company and for the wonderful meal, only to have Nioki to grab his hand, stopping him from going anywhere as she gripped as tightly as possible. Looks like she had other ideas in mind. No sooner had he wondered this, that he was being dragged along the household and up to the stairs to an unopened room he had yet to see. Nioki's bedroom....this didn't look good....
"Piccolo, if you think that I'm going to let you live the Christmas season out there in the wilderness all alone then you must be even crazier to think that I'll even let you step on foot out of this house" she says sounding demanding.
"But...I can't....You and your parents were kind enough to let me stay for a few hours and have dinner with them. I've stayed longer than neccessary and I don't want to hold you parents up any more than I already have. You have a great mother and father but this isn't my place to say whether I would stay here or not, this is your home not mine, and isn't my stay here disturbing them in the slightest?"
"Not at all Piccolo. I talked it over with mum and dad and they are even more than happy that you joined us today. Have you already forgotten that your supposed to stay here for at least 4 more days to teach me how to fly? And what about tommorrow, you know when we open the presents? I'm not letting you leave tonight so that I have to actually go 51 miles into the wilderness to give you your gift, that's a little overkill for me".
Nodding the hybreed saiyan/namekian understands and looks about her room curiously. Noticing a huge stack of teddy bears and fluffy toys on top of her cuboards, books based on romance and fairy tales neatly stacked on shelves on the other side in alphabetical order. Posters and photographs placed on all four corners of the room and one double bed.....the only bed in the room...(Uh oh).
"Nioki, if I am indeed staying. Where would you parents like me to sleep? On the sofa in the living room?" he questions, nervousily.
"Silly, your staying in my room tonight with me" she replies giggling.
"I'M WHAT?!"
"Geez a little louder, I don't think the of whole of China heard you yet" she whispers sarcasticly poking his chest.
"Nioki? Hello?! There is only one bed!"
"Exactly, it's a king sized bed. More than enough for two people to sleep in" the female answers somberly.
If Piccolo's jaw could have fallen any further...it would have been hanging until it hit the floor. This is crazy! Just what is she up to?!
"W-what about your parents? They won't like me sleeping in the same bed as their daughter".
"Oh ma and dad think it's fine. Besides were do you expect to sleep, in the same bed as theirs?" she retorts, dripping of sarcasim once again.
"Alright, alright you win. But if I have your father screaming 'bloody murder' then it's your fault".
Her answer isn't given by words, she just gives him a quick peck on the cheek and leaves to change in the bathroom, leaving Piccolo to change in her room. Sighing he removes his turban and weighted cape and places it neatly on the side and then soon after his gi top, trousers and red belt follow until the young hybreed is left with nothing more than a blue pair of boxers. Hurridly and cautious of his surroundings and the situation he moves over to the left side of the bed and removes the covers and lies down, his hands over his chest. Again more strange feelings that feel so alien to him begin to emerge and of all times it had to be now?!
Increased bodily temperature, quickening heartbeat and his pulse was going haywire like a jack hammer. Just what was his body expecting because he certainly didn't know why it was reacting differently. Trying to calm himself he closes his eyes and breathes in slowly and deeply in short meditation. His body slowly obeying the commands of the mind until....a shuffling of the covers is heard crystal clear in his ears. The next thing he feels is a hand, gentle and warm placed on his chest as well as the rest of a human body snuggling up towards his. Adding to the warmth that was slowly increasing again all over his body. With flushed and slightly tinted cheeks he opens his eyes and looks down to see Nioki with her hands and her head placed on his chest, eyes closed and sleeping soundly with a small smile on her face.
For all the actions Nioki was making towards him, it was slowly beginning to infuriate him that he couldn't possibly figure this woman out. Her personality, the way she acted, it was so hard to decifer, to understand her motives for doing what she did. (Women.....I'll never understand them), he thinks silently before his eyes slowly droop closed. And as sleep overtakes him, for once in his young life did the nightmares and the constant worries of what tommorrow might bring ceased to trouble him in his dreams...for once Piccolo was at peace.
Author's note: Gomen...Gomenasi....I didn't mean to be so late with this chapter but I did get it up didn't I? As you can see the story is slowly but surely developing more into a romance fic but like it is this is also a general fic, meaning that there will be other elements within the story also: angst, action etc. Even though this story has all other genre's to it, I always love to read and write romance fics. What can I say? I'm just the mushy, sensitive sorta guy...heh...
Coming up in Chapter 12? Welcome to flight school 101 as Piccolo teaches Nioki how to fly, but will she succeed? Here's hoping! Please be a responsible reader and review my fic, after all it's your views and comments that mean the most to me, it's what really counts. So either review or send the all questions, suggestions, comments to: Noblekaleomnislash1@hotmail.com
Signed Noble.....