___Chapter 59___
~~~NOTE- Song in the opening- "Dance with you", by LIVE. Musical inspiration for the rest- "Somewhere in between", by Lifehouse ~~~
Music filled the room, a soft-sweet atmosphere prevailing because of it. Twilight and a lamp in the corner provided all the illumination for a single figure sitting upon the pastel sheets, swaying slowly sideways.
Her face was of peace, her lips moving in silence along with the words to the music around her, the memories they brought making her eyes sparkle as she swayed slightly back and forth, playing her fingers across a framed rose. Only briefly did the expression leave her face, when she stopped to re-set the track that was playing back to number 13.
That settled, she giggled slightly, and reached down to pick up a sketch journal she'd left lying there, undid the lock, and flipped through the smooth pages to one image in particular, which she'd just added in a few days ago.....
Before she could really look at it though, the pages fluttered to another in a slight gust- Oboe's head turned to the now-open window, occupied by a tall shape slipping in.
"Veggie kept you late tonight?" she chuckled, watching Piccolo's expression flash a bit sheepish, but he didn't say anything yet, and just pulled himself the rest of the way it.
"Sorry, we got caught up at Son's place, and I lost track of the time." he answered quietly, closing the glass and plopping down for a seat next to her.
Oboe cast him a sideways grin, and whispered "Apology accepted." as she laid a little kiss on his cheek, getting his smile in return.
"So, besides Vegeta consuming twice his weight in vodka at the bar, anything interesting happen?"
"*stifles a laugh* Nah, same as always- wandered around for a while, sparred, insulted each other, sparred, plotted on how to get back at the kids if they play another prank on us, sparred, drove Bulma nuts by fighting too close to the corp. and nearly punching her mother out when she surprised us to give us cookies, and went over to Son's bar. You?"
The namekisan-jin woman blinked twice, digesting all that, and shrugged. "Went to see Yen and Tienshin, then the two of us stopped over to see Bulma and heard all about the incident from her."
By then the song had ended again, and Oboe reached down to re-set it, but Piccolo did for her. She smiled her thanks, and leant back against the pillows, but stood up to fix the part of the sheets she'd mussed. Piccolo spoke, but she didn't quite hear him, until he said "Hey, you drawl anything else lately?" and she jerked her head up to see him paging through the sketchbook.
"NO!" she shouted, grabbing for it, but before she could get it away from him, he flipped to the last page and his jaw promptly dropped.
Oboe finally managed to get it away from him and re-set the lock, shoving it under the bed and hoping he'd missed it, but the look on his face told her she had no such luck.
"So, how mad was Bulma, anyways?" she asked, trying to change the subject. Piccolo wouldn't have it. Before a word passed his lips, she knew what they were-
'What the hell was THAT suppose to be?'
'This isn't sketched off a few nights ago, is it?'
'God, I'm still confused enough about that, and then you go and DRAWL us?'
'Why the hell did you put this in, anyway?'
She cringed in anticipation of all of it, but nothing came for ten seconds. Then a hand slipped over her shoulder, turning her around, and her eyes quickly locked on his quiet face.
"It doesn't do you justice." was all he said, a smile alighting with the light blush on his cheeks.
Oboe stared openmouthed at the reaction, but not for long, as her mouth was covered gently by another.
~~~~~~~
She jerked awake suddenly, sweat beading her brow. For a moment she could still almost feel his hands against her back, pressing her close, but the dream vanished as a beam of light from the outside struck her eyes, grounding her back in reality.
Oboe swallowed slightly, blushing a bit more than that. Another one of..... those dreams. Covering her face with her hands, she tried to banish the strange future she'd seen, knowing that this was no time for erotica to take over.
Oboe got up tentatively so as not to wake Lute, and once outside, buried her hands in the grass, letting her thoughts fade away in the familiar smell and aura of her homeworld.
{{Strange...}} her subconscious whispered before she faded out into meditation, {{Even though I've never seen him like that, I always seem to know what he looks like...}}
---
Gohan's eyes met the new day with silence, his form perched atop the small house, taking in the sight of the suns lighting the atmosphere brightly. No rain today. All around him was the splendors of living things and life itself, and his soul harbored a peace in the knowledge that a people could live in such a simple world anymore.
The peace was interrupted abruptly when the door opened below him, a figure fleeing out and falling to it's knees in the grass. Oboe-san bowed her head, hiding her face from the daylight and beauty all around her, fingers slipping through the silky grass as her aura calmed into a relaxed state. The halfling knew better than to bother her, and so watched the clouds overhead instead, forgetting his tendency to daydream...
~~~~~~~
Running through the tall grass, laughing out loud, the teenager appeared as a blur to anyone who saw him, but since he was in the middle of nowhere, noone did. He didn't care that much either- he loved this place, he loved it more that anywhere in the world, this is where he'd lived his whole life, where he'd grown up, where the three most important people in the world to him were- his mother, father, and father in spirit- all in the shadows of these strange hills and valleys. The wind whipped through his wild raven hair, sending it cascading behind him in the same way it tugged at his violet gi, his shape flying like it over the plains.
The flow stopped abruptly as he came to a stop atop the highest peak, and his eyes soaked in the splendor around him, colored in the hues of the sunrise that warmed his skin as well.
Gohan plopped down, trying to suppress the broad grin on his features for a moment, but with no luck. Ah, what the hell, who cared anyway. The morning was too beautiful to be bothered with unbrushed teeth. The smile on his lips fell, however, when he remembered what the day was. He was going off to high school today, in the city.
City.
What a weird word.
City.
He'd never really been to the city, and the few times he had weren't good experiences- not really bad, but just... there. Now he was gonna live there, for years. City was such a weird word out here, amid the pure nature of the desert, it seemed like a dream he'd had but forgotten ages ago. City.
Shaking his head violently to banish that bizarre word for just a moment more before it became all he knew, before this life seemed the dream, the halfling clenched his teeth and covered his face in his hands, sighing deeply into his palms. He didn't WANT to go, but he had no choice, him mother had said that in not-so-many-words ever since he was little. He'd been able to 'waste his life with those heathens of his father's friends all these years, so long as he got a real education later', and now the time was up. He'd finished grade school, there'd been no threat to the world since then, and he was going off, no questions.
He hated it. He didn't want to go, to leave all his closest friends behind so long, but a promise is a promise, and he'd promised her so many times...
A breeze flickered past his face, and he glanced up, confused as to it's origin, but a glimpse of the tall emerald form beside him answered the question.
"Hey kid." he whispered nonchalantly, glancing down from the corner of his eyes to the smiling boy.
Gohan didn't reply at first, just grinned at the sight of his sensei. Piccolo broke the silence, however-
"So kid, what brings you out here at this time?"
The smile playing across the halfling's lips seemed to sum it all up, but the look was forced, as was the unconcerned tone in his voice. "To watch the sunrise."
A sigh.
"Nice try."
Sheepishly, Gohan looked up at him, asking "Am I that obvious?"
"Yes. I know you better than that, Gohan." He knelt down as to look him in the eyes, and whispered "What's wrong?"
No reply, just the child looking away.
That didn't last long, though, as a familiar hand touched his chin, turning back to face those quiet eyes and their bearer's voice- "It's about school, isn't it?"
A nod.
"You think we'll forget you, don't you?"
Another nod.
At that the face flashed a look of concern, and he narrowed his eyes slightly, shaking his head. "No way in hell, kid." he said, smiling sadly, "If you think I'm gonna forget you just because you're gone four years, you're crazy."
"Huh?"
"How COULD I?" Piccolo's voice had flared a bit there, an almost anger coming over him, but he let it slide, the next words coming much more softly "You're everything to me, kid."
Gohan went completely quiet at that, and the silent sadness in the corners of his sensei's dark eyes that he didn't quiet understand. Usually he could interpret the unspoken in the namek's words, but not this time, so he pushed it aside and merely asked "You really mean that?"
"Of course I do." came the reply instantly and sincerely.
Then a grin passed the boy's face and he lunged forward, catching him in a big hug and calling out cheerfully "Piccolo-san daisuki!!!!!", grinning in his father's childish genuine manner.
The namekian half-froze, he hadn't been expecting that, but he adapted quickly enough, letting a half-smile slide over his lips and his arms reach out to tentatively hug the boy back. "Whatever you say, little one." he whispered, an amused tone to his voice.
Gohan had glomped him, expecting to get shoved away, but when he hadn't been, his happiness had soared. He really WAS cared for!!! Piccolo-san had never hugged him back before, this was great!! All thoughts of being forgotten slipped out of his mind, and as for the first time he felt his sensei's heartbeat, he was lulled into a peaceful sleep...
~~~~~~~
A gust of wind slamming into his face jerked him out of his little daydream, and Gohan shivered, cursing to himself for zoning out again. Stepping down off the structure, he sighed, burying his face in a hand, muttering to himself as his eyes began to water "It's just the wind, just the wind......"
---
Curled up peacefully between a group of blankets and pillows, Lute didn't notice Gohan walk in and wake up Vegeta, only poking his head out when the sayian grabbed him by a foot and pulled him into the air, chuckling "Ok, get up smartass."
"HEY!" the little namekian shouted in the indignance of being held upsi-down, folding his arms, mock-glaring at his captor and sticking his tongue out. Vegeta took one look at the display, blinked twice, and cracked up.
"DAMN you are one funny kid!" he chuckled in-between bites of breakfast, and set Lute down on the ground after finishing what was in his mouth. Once settled again, Lute grinned and saluted, affirming the statement with a "Hell yeah!"
Breakfast went calmly for a moment, but the sayian-jin prince glanced back to the little one in the corner and sighed.
{{Funny, he's really nothing like Piccolo..... How the hell did the brick wall raise him without going nuts? *chuckles* Namek, you've really got your work cut out for you with this one, but I'll be damned if I'm not starting to like him as well. Heh, wait till you come back and I've taught him a couple of my tricks, between the two of us you might be forced out of your shell more often...... *sighs, clinks the bottom of his drink against the table, leaning his head on his shoulder* And I'll be damned if we don't find that next village soon. Why can't those bakas can't build them closer together? And why hasn't my hair grown back yet? Oh shit, it'd better come back before we're done, I'll never hear the end of it from you if it doesn't! But... eh, maybe I'll leave it bald for a while, let you have a laughs before I kick your ass and grow it back. How's that sound? Good? *twitches, mentally smacks himself* Well, Pic, I hope you're happy, I really AM going senile before I hit 40, talking to myself like this.. *rollseyes* }}
Vegeta sighed, and was about to continue his one-sided mental conversation when he noticed Oboe standing over him, eyeing him oddly.
"What are YOU looking at?" he snapped in self defense, but she just chuckled, shrugged her shoulders, and grabbed a canteen from the fridge.
---
Soon enough, the four were set and off again, flying through the green sky.
~~NOTE~~ First off, I have an important message- *glomps Oboe* HAPPY SECOND BIRTHDAY, GIRL!!! *grinz* Yup, as of today, my namekian lady's been around for two years, and I'm cutting this chapter a bit short so I can get it out today. Hey, I'll get some more Veggie and Lute contemplation in here soon enough.
-
Next, before anyone says I broke my oath in chapter 29 way back when with the beginning here- that wasn't graphic, was it? It wasn't a lemon, lime, orange, or whatever fruit you'd wish to label it, it was merely a sweet little moment with some innuendo. I don't ever plan on writing anything more graphic that that, so be happy. Unless I get the most amazing, flattering, well-written letter begging and bribing with ficart, that is... which isn't happening. *laughs*
-
Last- Noticed alot of Pic + Gohan stuff coming off my keyboard lately? Well, it's because of a few stories I've read in the last week that's got me totally hooked on these two (not that I wasn't before), whether they're paired as lovers or not. The fics are "For the love of Gohan" and "With you, without you", by Tomo-chan. Read them, worship them, now. If you don't mind shonen-ai, thou. *shrugs* I love the stuff. And there's a quick tribute in the chapter to the illustrious Kosh here (let me know if anyone spots it)- another wonderful P/G author, but for those who aren't so easy around shonen-ai. Ciao. ~~
~~~NOTE- Song in the opening- "Dance with you", by LIVE. Musical inspiration for the rest- "Somewhere in between", by Lifehouse ~~~
Music filled the room, a soft-sweet atmosphere prevailing because of it. Twilight and a lamp in the corner provided all the illumination for a single figure sitting upon the pastel sheets, swaying slowly sideways.
Her face was of peace, her lips moving in silence along with the words to the music around her, the memories they brought making her eyes sparkle as she swayed slightly back and forth, playing her fingers across a framed rose. Only briefly did the expression leave her face, when she stopped to re-set the track that was playing back to number 13.
That settled, she giggled slightly, and reached down to pick up a sketch journal she'd left lying there, undid the lock, and flipped through the smooth pages to one image in particular, which she'd just added in a few days ago.....
Before she could really look at it though, the pages fluttered to another in a slight gust- Oboe's head turned to the now-open window, occupied by a tall shape slipping in.
"Veggie kept you late tonight?" she chuckled, watching Piccolo's expression flash a bit sheepish, but he didn't say anything yet, and just pulled himself the rest of the way it.
"Sorry, we got caught up at Son's place, and I lost track of the time." he answered quietly, closing the glass and plopping down for a seat next to her.
Oboe cast him a sideways grin, and whispered "Apology accepted." as she laid a little kiss on his cheek, getting his smile in return.
"So, besides Vegeta consuming twice his weight in vodka at the bar, anything interesting happen?"
"*stifles a laugh* Nah, same as always- wandered around for a while, sparred, insulted each other, sparred, plotted on how to get back at the kids if they play another prank on us, sparred, drove Bulma nuts by fighting too close to the corp. and nearly punching her mother out when she surprised us to give us cookies, and went over to Son's bar. You?"
The namekisan-jin woman blinked twice, digesting all that, and shrugged. "Went to see Yen and Tienshin, then the two of us stopped over to see Bulma and heard all about the incident from her."
By then the song had ended again, and Oboe reached down to re-set it, but Piccolo did for her. She smiled her thanks, and leant back against the pillows, but stood up to fix the part of the sheets she'd mussed. Piccolo spoke, but she didn't quite hear him, until he said "Hey, you drawl anything else lately?" and she jerked her head up to see him paging through the sketchbook.
"NO!" she shouted, grabbing for it, but before she could get it away from him, he flipped to the last page and his jaw promptly dropped.
Oboe finally managed to get it away from him and re-set the lock, shoving it under the bed and hoping he'd missed it, but the look on his face told her she had no such luck.
"So, how mad was Bulma, anyways?" she asked, trying to change the subject. Piccolo wouldn't have it. Before a word passed his lips, she knew what they were-
'What the hell was THAT suppose to be?'
'This isn't sketched off a few nights ago, is it?'
'God, I'm still confused enough about that, and then you go and DRAWL us?'
'Why the hell did you put this in, anyway?'
She cringed in anticipation of all of it, but nothing came for ten seconds. Then a hand slipped over her shoulder, turning her around, and her eyes quickly locked on his quiet face.
"It doesn't do you justice." was all he said, a smile alighting with the light blush on his cheeks.
Oboe stared openmouthed at the reaction, but not for long, as her mouth was covered gently by another.
~~~~~~~
She jerked awake suddenly, sweat beading her brow. For a moment she could still almost feel his hands against her back, pressing her close, but the dream vanished as a beam of light from the outside struck her eyes, grounding her back in reality.
Oboe swallowed slightly, blushing a bit more than that. Another one of..... those dreams. Covering her face with her hands, she tried to banish the strange future she'd seen, knowing that this was no time for erotica to take over.
Oboe got up tentatively so as not to wake Lute, and once outside, buried her hands in the grass, letting her thoughts fade away in the familiar smell and aura of her homeworld.
{{Strange...}} her subconscious whispered before she faded out into meditation, {{Even though I've never seen him like that, I always seem to know what he looks like...}}
---
Gohan's eyes met the new day with silence, his form perched atop the small house, taking in the sight of the suns lighting the atmosphere brightly. No rain today. All around him was the splendors of living things and life itself, and his soul harbored a peace in the knowledge that a people could live in such a simple world anymore.
The peace was interrupted abruptly when the door opened below him, a figure fleeing out and falling to it's knees in the grass. Oboe-san bowed her head, hiding her face from the daylight and beauty all around her, fingers slipping through the silky grass as her aura calmed into a relaxed state. The halfling knew better than to bother her, and so watched the clouds overhead instead, forgetting his tendency to daydream...
~~~~~~~
Running through the tall grass, laughing out loud, the teenager appeared as a blur to anyone who saw him, but since he was in the middle of nowhere, noone did. He didn't care that much either- he loved this place, he loved it more that anywhere in the world, this is where he'd lived his whole life, where he'd grown up, where the three most important people in the world to him were- his mother, father, and father in spirit- all in the shadows of these strange hills and valleys. The wind whipped through his wild raven hair, sending it cascading behind him in the same way it tugged at his violet gi, his shape flying like it over the plains.
The flow stopped abruptly as he came to a stop atop the highest peak, and his eyes soaked in the splendor around him, colored in the hues of the sunrise that warmed his skin as well.
Gohan plopped down, trying to suppress the broad grin on his features for a moment, but with no luck. Ah, what the hell, who cared anyway. The morning was too beautiful to be bothered with unbrushed teeth. The smile on his lips fell, however, when he remembered what the day was. He was going off to high school today, in the city.
City.
What a weird word.
City.
He'd never really been to the city, and the few times he had weren't good experiences- not really bad, but just... there. Now he was gonna live there, for years. City was such a weird word out here, amid the pure nature of the desert, it seemed like a dream he'd had but forgotten ages ago. City.
Shaking his head violently to banish that bizarre word for just a moment more before it became all he knew, before this life seemed the dream, the halfling clenched his teeth and covered his face in his hands, sighing deeply into his palms. He didn't WANT to go, but he had no choice, him mother had said that in not-so-many-words ever since he was little. He'd been able to 'waste his life with those heathens of his father's friends all these years, so long as he got a real education later', and now the time was up. He'd finished grade school, there'd been no threat to the world since then, and he was going off, no questions.
He hated it. He didn't want to go, to leave all his closest friends behind so long, but a promise is a promise, and he'd promised her so many times...
A breeze flickered past his face, and he glanced up, confused as to it's origin, but a glimpse of the tall emerald form beside him answered the question.
"Hey kid." he whispered nonchalantly, glancing down from the corner of his eyes to the smiling boy.
Gohan didn't reply at first, just grinned at the sight of his sensei. Piccolo broke the silence, however-
"So kid, what brings you out here at this time?"
The smile playing across the halfling's lips seemed to sum it all up, but the look was forced, as was the unconcerned tone in his voice. "To watch the sunrise."
A sigh.
"Nice try."
Sheepishly, Gohan looked up at him, asking "Am I that obvious?"
"Yes. I know you better than that, Gohan." He knelt down as to look him in the eyes, and whispered "What's wrong?"
No reply, just the child looking away.
That didn't last long, though, as a familiar hand touched his chin, turning back to face those quiet eyes and their bearer's voice- "It's about school, isn't it?"
A nod.
"You think we'll forget you, don't you?"
Another nod.
At that the face flashed a look of concern, and he narrowed his eyes slightly, shaking his head. "No way in hell, kid." he said, smiling sadly, "If you think I'm gonna forget you just because you're gone four years, you're crazy."
"Huh?"
"How COULD I?" Piccolo's voice had flared a bit there, an almost anger coming over him, but he let it slide, the next words coming much more softly "You're everything to me, kid."
Gohan went completely quiet at that, and the silent sadness in the corners of his sensei's dark eyes that he didn't quiet understand. Usually he could interpret the unspoken in the namek's words, but not this time, so he pushed it aside and merely asked "You really mean that?"
"Of course I do." came the reply instantly and sincerely.
Then a grin passed the boy's face and he lunged forward, catching him in a big hug and calling out cheerfully "Piccolo-san daisuki!!!!!", grinning in his father's childish genuine manner.
The namekian half-froze, he hadn't been expecting that, but he adapted quickly enough, letting a half-smile slide over his lips and his arms reach out to tentatively hug the boy back. "Whatever you say, little one." he whispered, an amused tone to his voice.
Gohan had glomped him, expecting to get shoved away, but when he hadn't been, his happiness had soared. He really WAS cared for!!! Piccolo-san had never hugged him back before, this was great!! All thoughts of being forgotten slipped out of his mind, and as for the first time he felt his sensei's heartbeat, he was lulled into a peaceful sleep...
~~~~~~~
A gust of wind slamming into his face jerked him out of his little daydream, and Gohan shivered, cursing to himself for zoning out again. Stepping down off the structure, he sighed, burying his face in a hand, muttering to himself as his eyes began to water "It's just the wind, just the wind......"
---
Curled up peacefully between a group of blankets and pillows, Lute didn't notice Gohan walk in and wake up Vegeta, only poking his head out when the sayian grabbed him by a foot and pulled him into the air, chuckling "Ok, get up smartass."
"HEY!" the little namekian shouted in the indignance of being held upsi-down, folding his arms, mock-glaring at his captor and sticking his tongue out. Vegeta took one look at the display, blinked twice, and cracked up.
"DAMN you are one funny kid!" he chuckled in-between bites of breakfast, and set Lute down on the ground after finishing what was in his mouth. Once settled again, Lute grinned and saluted, affirming the statement with a "Hell yeah!"
Breakfast went calmly for a moment, but the sayian-jin prince glanced back to the little one in the corner and sighed.
{{Funny, he's really nothing like Piccolo..... How the hell did the brick wall raise him without going nuts? *chuckles* Namek, you've really got your work cut out for you with this one, but I'll be damned if I'm not starting to like him as well. Heh, wait till you come back and I've taught him a couple of my tricks, between the two of us you might be forced out of your shell more often...... *sighs, clinks the bottom of his drink against the table, leaning his head on his shoulder* And I'll be damned if we don't find that next village soon. Why can't those bakas can't build them closer together? And why hasn't my hair grown back yet? Oh shit, it'd better come back before we're done, I'll never hear the end of it from you if it doesn't! But... eh, maybe I'll leave it bald for a while, let you have a laughs before I kick your ass and grow it back. How's that sound? Good? *twitches, mentally smacks himself* Well, Pic, I hope you're happy, I really AM going senile before I hit 40, talking to myself like this.. *rollseyes* }}
Vegeta sighed, and was about to continue his one-sided mental conversation when he noticed Oboe standing over him, eyeing him oddly.
"What are YOU looking at?" he snapped in self defense, but she just chuckled, shrugged her shoulders, and grabbed a canteen from the fridge.
---
Soon enough, the four were set and off again, flying through the green sky.
~~NOTE~~ First off, I have an important message- *glomps Oboe* HAPPY SECOND BIRTHDAY, GIRL!!! *grinz* Yup, as of today, my namekian lady's been around for two years, and I'm cutting this chapter a bit short so I can get it out today. Hey, I'll get some more Veggie and Lute contemplation in here soon enough.
-
Next, before anyone says I broke my oath in chapter 29 way back when with the beginning here- that wasn't graphic, was it? It wasn't a lemon, lime, orange, or whatever fruit you'd wish to label it, it was merely a sweet little moment with some innuendo. I don't ever plan on writing anything more graphic that that, so be happy. Unless I get the most amazing, flattering, well-written letter begging and bribing with ficart, that is... which isn't happening. *laughs*
-
Last- Noticed alot of Pic + Gohan stuff coming off my keyboard lately? Well, it's because of a few stories I've read in the last week that's got me totally hooked on these two (not that I wasn't before), whether they're paired as lovers or not. The fics are "For the love of Gohan" and "With you, without you", by Tomo-chan. Read them, worship them, now. If you don't mind shonen-ai, thou. *shrugs* I love the stuff. And there's a quick tribute in the chapter to the illustrious Kosh here (let me know if anyone spots it)- another wonderful P/G author, but for those who aren't so easy around shonen-ai. Ciao. ~~