Ahhh, I'm updating again…must mean that dogs can tap dance, and my sister actually can't eat anything else. This chapter was kinda difficult. I mean, I have an idea for other chapters, but I need 'filler' material. And of course, since I am just one of those people, I'll actually use ideas that you suggest from my comments. Want to see Piccolo's reaction to Meece's first date? OK! Parent Teacher conferences? You got it! (This is for you, 'Something like human'!) More Kami and Nail comments? OK! You want to see Kit dress in a plaid, spandex suit and do bad Vegeta impressions on the lawn….er….I think I'll draw the line there.

But chapter 4 is up. More to come! Don't fear! And I plan on putting a "Nail and Kami interlude" in this story! What is a Nail and Kami interlude? ::smirk:: Well… yer gonna have to find out.

5/19/02

Touch Tones

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Piccolo was standing stiffly beside the bathroom door, dressed in his usual gi but missing his cape, turban, and shoulder armor. It wasn't really something you wore inside of a house. It tended to knock the trinkets Dende had balanced down and his cape would get tangled in chairs and things. Not to mention that the white fabric didn't really match the overall design of the inside of Dende's lookout. Who would have thought that Dende preferred pale pink and teal as a color design.

*Well… I guess I should have seen it coming.* Nail said, shaking his head. *The kid always was good with colors. He would have been an interior decorator if he wasn't needed as a decorator.*

*Dende does do a good job decorating this place. Mr Popo had NO fashion sense what-so-ever.* Kami agreed. Piccolo gritted his teeth, a habit he had picked up since fusing with the other two nameks.

"Meece! Hurry up or you'll be late!" He shouted, noting the way that the walls nearly shook with his voice. The girl could detect the vibrations and read chi, she heard him.

"Papa! Meece's shoes won't tie!" The girl yelled back. Piccolo suffered a slight flashback. How many months had passed since Dende took Meece in as a pupil? Too many to count, and little Meece was now seven years old and starting school. Three years, three full years since he had first met Meece, Gods! Had he really been her surrogate father for three years?! Over the years Meece had learned how to speak clearly, and now only used her telepathy with friends, or Piccolo. Being able to speak would startle fewer humans, and give her the overall appearance of 'being normal'.

Piccolo sighed. "Meece, come out here then." He rubbed his forehead, brushing his antenna back. Her first day of school, to him she was still far too young to be going to school. But Dende insisted, calling it 'training' and Meece agreed happily. The bathroom door opened and the girl bounced out. She had hit another growth spurt and now reached somewhere to his middle. Her green hair had grown out, reaching past her shoulder blades and done up in many small cornrows. Instead of wearing Piccolo's colors, she now wore a pale yellow jumper.

'Papa, this is weird.' She tugged on her jumper, making a face. 'Can't Meece just wear my gi to school?'

"No, humans wear human clothes, not fighting clothes, to school." Piccolo rumbled. 'Kinder-garden', that's what the humans called her school. A …garden for children? Who the hell knows, but Gohan and Goten never went to public school until high school, he saw no reason for Meece to attend school now.

*Dende wants her to mingle with her own kind. After all, she needs to get use to using her powers without others noticing, and to look out for the humans.* Kami reasoned.

Nail made a sniffling noise, *Our little girl is growing up.* He said dramatically. Meece turned her face up to Piccolo and wrinkled her nose. She could hear Nail and Kami's comments as clearly as if they would actually speak them out loud. The fact that Meece was constantly listening to them had a benefit, they were careful to mind their manners and language. In fact, his mental fights with the other two were rare these days.

Mr. Popo came into the room, carrying Meece's new backpack and supplies for her first day. At the sight, Meece whimpered and clung to Piccolo's leg. "Papa-o, Meece don't wanna go!" She wailed. She still hadn't gotten over not referring to herself in third person, no matter how hard Gohan worked with her. Dende said just to let her continue it, her speech wasn't hard to understand and wasn't retarding her learning growth.

Piccolo lowered his hand, ruffling the loose strands of hair that had come out of the cornrows. "It is part of your training…to act like a human." He explained. But of course, HE wanted an explanation too.

*It's a growing experience. Every parent is concerned when their kid first goes off to school.* Kami said. *Just think of it as a three hour break. She is only in Kindergarten, she'll be back before you know it.* Piccolo doubted it. What if Meece had a problem? What if she didn't like it? Or worse, what if someone tried to hurt her?

*Piccolo, if you keep that up you'll turn into an old hen, worrying about your kids.* Nail grinned smugly. Piccolo growled mentally. Meece would often give him privacy, and if she was listening to him she would give a 'push' to let him know. She respected Piccolo enough to let him have his own thoughts. Taking the girl's hand, he led her out of the room to the open platform.

*Besides, you've taught the kid well. After all, how many seven-year-olds can punch through rocks?* Kami exaggerated. Meece wasn't that strong yet, but she could easily toss a grown man like a rag doll.

Dende was standing near the edge, looking over the earth. Meece skipped up him, still holding Piccolo's giant hand in her own small one. Dende smiled without looking at her and spoke. "It looks like a fine day. But don't worry, I can tell the other children are nervous too." Meece nodded. "You'll do fine, after all, you were taught by Gohan. You can already read and count, I have no doubt that you will do fine."

Meece's expression brightened. 'And Meece can read the same books as Bra-chan can!' She cheeped. Dende laughed merrily and nodded. Piccolo felt her hand tighten, and gently tuned into her thoughts. While what Dende said had comforted her, she was still scared. Imagine, someone with powers like her, scared! Why, if she wanted, she could probably destroy the whole school! Her lessons from Piccolo made her much stronger than a normal human adult, and yet she was still scared.

Tightening his own grip, Piccolo's hand squeezed hers. Meece craned her neck up to look at him, her brown eyes glittering in the early morning sun. 'I will be just a thought away. But go and show them how strong you are, Meece.' He said, keeping Dende from hearing his thoughts. Meece made her casual humming agreement noise and leaned her head against his arm.

*I think we should go. Piccolo will want to drop Meece off before anyone rude stares at him.* Kami informed Dende, who nodded wisely. Meece's brow wrinkled, showing she didn't understand, but she didn't actually ask. Heaving her backpack to her shoulder, she quickly gave Dende and Mr. Popo a goodbye hug and latched her hand onto Piccolo's again. Then they both flew into the air, Meece almost having to drag Piccolo. Her flying skills were finally to the point where she could fly to Capsule Corp without having to stop. Meece choose to go to the school where Bra went, even though Bra was a first grader.

Piccolo's thoughts were carefully filtered, making sure that Meece wasn't listening and Kami and Nail were unable to hear him. 'I can't do this. Just let her go? What if she decides she likes being among humans more? Dammit! I'm getting soft! It is just for three hours, but I have to leave her in a human city, alone, for three hours?!' Meece eye's sparkled as they headed for the city, and her hand tightened slightly. Piccolo had a few second thoughts about stopping and taking Meece back. But his pride wouldn't let him, and neither would Kami or Nail for that matter.

*All children need to go to school, it's the best way for them to learn about other humans as well.* The wizened old God said.

*Yeah, where else can they learn how to fling spit wads and the finer points of the toxicity of public school lunches?* Nail pointed out.

'She can go to the Briefs house, have Trunks and Goten teach her that, and Bulma cooks worse than any school cook.' Piccolo remarked. 'And I DON'T want her learning those things!'

*Touché.* Nail shrugged.

"Papa…. There it is." Meece suddenly turned around and grabbed onto his arm in fear. The school was a bright place, with little paper flowers in the window. Very few people were there yet, excluding the teachers and a few kids. No parents were around, either having dropped their children off or not arrived yet. Well, this was the moment of truth. Piccolo landed, Meece sitting on his arm and clinging to his neck. And doing something he had been avoiding since fighting tournaments, he went into a public place.

"Hello! And welcome to your first day of kindergaa-aahh!" The teacher recoiled a single step when she saw the giant green fellow carrying a small child. The girl was dressed in school clothes and had a backpack on, so… "Umm, are… are you here for class?" The teacher asked carefully, not wanting to get punched by this colossal green man.

"My name is Meece! Meece here for first day of schu…schOOl." She enunciated. The teacher's nametag, probably for parent's benefit rather than the children's, read 'Ms. Jamis'. She was rather young, probably out of college a few years ago, but her face showed she loved all children.

"Well, it's very nice to meet you Meece, let's just check your name off on the attendance sheet." Ms. Jamis quickly retrieved the clipboard. "And…um….what is your 'daddy's name?" She asked.

"Piccolo Daimao." He said, his voice rumbling deep in his chest. Meece jumped out of his arms, landing nimbly on the ground. "And that is Meece Daimao." He kept his true name hidden, Ma Junior. It would only make people remember the time he blew up half of the martial arts ring a long time ago. Besides, Meece said the name sounded funny.

*You are whipped.* Nail commented.

'Shut up!' Piccolo growled mentally, scowling.

*No, he's right. You ARE whipped.* Kami stated.

'Kami, Nail, so help me, I'll find the dragonballs, wish you into a body and beat the crap out of BOTH of you!' He threatened, his fists balling up.

'Piccolo-papa? Are Kami-sama and Nail-san being too loud again?' Meece asked. 'Should Meece put them in time-out?' Piccolo smiled, his grouchy expression fading. The teacher relaxed at his smile, giving a sigh of relief. Handing Meece a large tablet notebook, she sent the girl to sit in the ring of children.

"You must be very proud of her. From her medical records, it appears Meece is deaf, but she speaks so well." The teacher glanced at the child. Piccolo indeed felt a swell of pride for the young girl. "And raising a child by yourself, that's a task that is easier said than done." She sighed. Meece turned and gave a large 'hi mom' type of grin, waving at Piccolo. Smirking, he turned and began to head for the door.

"If it would make you feel any better, you could stay until class starts and watch as Meece interacts with others of her age. It usually calms parents down." The teacher said, calming a child who was bawling madly. Piccolo looked over at Meece, who seemed to be listening intently to another child tell her about his dog.

"She's strong. She'll be fine." He said, actually believing it. Then he left the room, leaving the teacher in confusion.

'Papa? Will you stay close? Not leave Meece on her first day?' She sent as he walked down the hall.

'I'll be very close, but you won't be able to see me. But you should be able to feel me with your Kami Heart.' He stepped outside, noting that humans had started arriving and a few were staring at him. Damn humans.

'Meece can always feel Papa.' The child said simply, then sending a picture of her hugging him. 'Bai bai Papa!' She said, smiling. Piccolo smiled softly, and then flew up to wait on top of a nearby office building. Even though he knew she'd be fine, he would stay like he promised. But he had a feeling it would be a long three hours…

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Ms Jamis was, by all means, a good teacher. But Meece had been taught by Gohan and encouraged to study by Chichi. She could read before most kids while most kids were still going through their 'why' phase. So when class started, it was very basic, and Meece was nearly bored to tears.

"Can anyone tell me how to count to twenty?" Ms. Jamis asked, her class gathered around the floor in a circle. Meece's hand shot up while everyone else was still remembering what number came after 10. Enunciating carefully, Meece reached twenty without any difficulty. Her reward was getting to sit on the special 'cushion' at the head of the circle.

Meece didn't understand why everything was so easy. Or why the others were having trouble with it. Chichi already was making her read books meant for third graders and she could already do basic mathematics. 'Maybe it's because Gohan-san teaches good. Or maybe it's cause Papa and Dende-sama tell Meece when she does good.' She reasoned.

Also, in a class of twelve children, Meece was by far the most muscled, even for a girl. She had long since lost her puppy fat and her muscles were trained for endurance. She could run nearly all day if she had to, self defense and chi manipulation made her balance and dexterity far surpass anyone else her age. It didn't take long for Meece to realize she had an unfair advantage over all the other kids.

Halfway through class, Ms. Jamis announced naptime. Meece was rather confused as everyone curled onto their cots for a rest. Piccolo let her rest whenever she wanted, but the only time she napped during the day was when he was holding her. Without hearing herself, Meece began to whimper. She already missed her Papa. How could she nap without him here?

"Meece? What's wrong? Do you miss… your daddy?" The teacher asked, kneeling beside the cot. Meece's head jerked up, not realizing that she had been making noises. Nodding her head, Meece rubbed her eyes, checking to make sure she hadn't been crying too. Piccolo wouldn't like it if she didn't show everyone how strong she was.

"Hai. Meece never naps without papa beside her." She said, remembering not to mentally broadcast the message. Ms. Jamis smiled kindly and pat her back, trying to lull the child into sleep, or at least a deeper state of rest.

'Meece. Can't you sleep?' Piccolo's voice reached her, nearly making the girl squeal with delight.

'Iie. Meece can't sleep without Papa here. It feel too weird.' She said, rolling to her side. A tingle ran down her spine, and in her mind's eye she could see Piccolo. He was sending a picture, one where he had her tucked in his arm and using his cape as a blanket. Meece quickly felt her senses dissolve away and she fell asleep with a smile on her face and made a happy hum before drifting off.

"Poor little thing. She's probably never been away from her daddy before." Ms. Jamis stood up, looking at her clipboard. "Strange, this child is far too advanced for this class. I've noticed she's already able to do basic math, and read at a far higher level than most children. Maybe I'll need to schedule a meeting with her father." She paused for a moment, thinking of the tall, green man who brought Meece in. "Let's hope Mr. Daimao won't get the wrong idea if I call for a student teacher meeting." She said aloud.

One of the students made a muffled grumble and rolled over. "And I really need to stop talking to myself…"

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Piccolo would have waited at the door for Meece, but all the human parents seemed to be doing that and humans tended to freak out at the sight of him.

… aww… they hell with it.

Landing behind the small crowd of parents, Piccolo crossed his arms and waited for the kids to leave the class. Several of the humans noticed him, and pulled a double take. "Hey, did you eat some bad clams or something? Want some Tums?" One human asked.

Nearly growling, "I'm always this color." He answered. Dear Dende! Did they just think he was a tall, green human with pointy ears and antenna?! Humans…

'What's that? It's coming at me at high speeds! AHHHH! FLYING MISSEL! ATTAAAC--…oh, it's Meece, and she's clinging to me like some kinda of a leech. … Nail, if you say ANYTHING, I'll give myself a lobotomy.'

Nail said *I was just going to ask if you had any coffee…cause you are a little high strung…* Ok, wait for the other shoe to drop, *I mean, I've seen frogs less jumpy than you. What, afraid the sky is going to fall or something?* Yeah, some nice sarcasm. Piccolo wondered if there is a way to actually put his sarcastic power to work instead of having to haul Nail's ass around.

"Papa!" Meece said loudly. Piccolo quickly realized she had been speaking his name several times. Apparently she took his warning of not using her telepathy at school very directly and would try to speak verbally. He wasn't used to actually hearing her speak, but his mind had trained itself to respond to her mental voice. "Sensei-san wants to speak to you." She said, tugging on the cloth at his shoulder.

*Uh-oh.* Kami thought.

*Wow, the kid's got a record. First day and already there is a parent-teacher conference.* Nail tallied up, *Most troublemakers take at least a week.* Piccolo would have told him to shove it if he hadn't been concerned for Meece. The girl didn't seem mad or sad, but perhaps she didn't care about school like Gohan did. Maybe she was more of a troublemaker like Trunks. Kami, he hoped not, the world couldn't handle another Trunks and Goten.

"Wh-why? What happened?" He asked, ready to speed the kid out of there in a flash if she said she didn't like the school. Meece shrugged. Several of the other children had noticed Piccolo and were milling around them.

"Wow, Meece-chan! This is your daddy?! Yer lucky!" One young boy who was missing a front tooth said.

"You don't look much like him… oh, but your hair is the same color as him!" A girl chirped. The parents gave Piccolo apologetic looks, trying to hush their kids up. Strange, but it was like they accepted and respected him now. But years before at the martial arts tournament they respected him only because he could blow up the ring. What made them change their opinion now?

*It's the child you have sitting in your arms.* said Kami. *They see you as a fellow parent now.*

*It's 'parental-pity'.* Nail remarked.

*You know, you are too damn sarcastic for your own good.* Kami snorted. Piccolo and Nail froze in silence. Did Kami just say 'damn'? Was he being sarcastic himself? … Whoa, that was different.

"Ah! Daimao-san! Wait, I'd like to speak to you for a moment!" The young teacher called from the window. Giving sigh, Piccolo headed back into the building with Meece clinging happily to his neck. If she had been a cat, no doubt she would be purring.

Without the room crammed full of kids, the classroom was almost serene. There was still early afternoon light filtering through the window, and the funny little cushions had been put away. Several potted plants lined the tables, and the walls were still painted a shadowy white. The teacher was on the phone, holding a serious conversation with someone higher up than her, it sounded like. Piccolo carefully set Meece on the floor and the girl ran to play with several of the toys.

The teacher finished up the phone call, and sighed, brushing her hair back from her temples. "Oh! There you are!" She noticed Piccolo instantly, after all, how hard is it to miss a nearly seven foot tall green giant.

*The Jolly Green Giant.* Nail commented.

*Nail….* Kami said exasperatedly.

"I just got off the phone with the principal, and I believe there is a problem with Meece." She said, folding her hands together and resting her elbows on the table. Piccolo's eye's widened, but the change of expression wasn't evident to anyone who didn't know exactly what to look for.

*Uh-oh indeed.* Whether is was Nail or Kami who said this, Piccolo was now in a state of shock.

"Meece…has a problem?" He nearly stuttered. What was going on here, Meece was perfect! She never made mistakes, at least in his eyes. She tried hard, never gave up, and with her telepathy she could often tell when someone didn't approve of what she was doing.

Ms. Jamis blinked, then looked over at the playing girl briefly. "A problem with Meece? Goodness no! The problem is with us. It seems Meece is in a far advanced stage of learning. I'm petitioning that she should be skipped ahead at least one grade. She is a very special little girl."

*Lady, you don't even know half of it.* Nail smiled.

Meece didn't seem to be paying attention or was 'playing dumb' to the conversation. Piccolo listened as the teacher rambled on, listing all the preparations that needed to be done before Meece could be skipped forward. "Of course, we'd like to give Meece a few tests later just to get an idea at her current level of education." She paused for just a moment. "Personally, I'm still amazed Meece speaks so well for being deaf, but I find it strange she's unable to use standard sign language. She must be an excellent lip reader." Kami managed to seize control of Piccolo's head and nodded while keeping him from speaking. No need to spill any information just yet about the child's abilities. As the teacher filed through the paperwork, Piccolo reluctantly signed his name to a few lines.

'How tedious.' He thought, scrawling his name across the page. And thankfully he was literate, for it could get much more embarrassing if he couldn't read.

*Well, would you rather she would be cowering in fear under the table, too afraid to tell you the news?* Nail asked, reasoning his thoughts out.

'You have a point, but in your cause it's usually the 'dunce' hat you're wearing.' Piccolo sneered back. Her heard Kami and Meece chuckle in his mind. Nail sputtered, not used to Piccolo making witty comments back, other than interesting ways he should shut himself up. Meece was now looking under Piccolo's arm at the last paper he was signing. Her lips moved as she read the words, following the rather complex document. The teacher smiled as she watched Meece attempt to understand the heavy legal paper.

Picking the papers up and setting them in a pile, the young teacher wiped some of her hair back. "Well, that appears to be all. In a few days time, Meece will be a first grader if she does well on her tests."

"Meece do well! Meece know lots!" She chimed, clinging to Piccolo's leg.

"That's another thing I have to speak to you about, Mr. Daimao. Why does she speak in third-person, it's rather rare and considered eccentric to speak like that. Where did she learn it?" Ms. Jamis tried to attack a large paper clip to the papers, but only succeeded in making the edges dog-eared. Piccolo shrugged, he really had no clue. It was very strange indeed. Meece imitated him, shrugging her shoulders dramatically as well.

Piccolo picked Meece up again and left the class room. Meece waved goodbye to a rather startled teacher as they took to the air. 'Papa? Does this mean that Meece will be in Bra-chan's class?' She asked, flying around rather erratically. She had just spent three long hours unable to use her chi or mental powers so it was like someone who hadn't gone to the bathroom in a while. She needed to release some of that pent up energy.

*Lordy no, those two together?!* Nail blurted, almost in fear.

Kami was confused, *Why? Bra is her best friend. What's wrong with putting them together?*

*Two words, "Trunks" and "Goten"* Nail shuddered. *I have a really bad vision. I can see mass destruction, flaming piles of textbooks, the fusion dance going horribly, horribly wrong.* Now Piccolo was shuddering with the image.

*You overestimate her desire to be destructive.* Kami chided him. *Think of those two more like Gohan and Dende. Friends, different powers, but both of them know when to draw the line now.* Nail gave a mental sigh of relief. It was true, Bra had slightly outgrown the desire to cause a muck, and Meece would do whatever Bra did. And on their own, Meece and Bra were two mild-mannered, polite little girls/saiya-jins.

*Yes! Mild-mannered and polite…until they dive into the phone booth and then turn into… SUPER PRANKSTERS! As I believe, Trunks and Goten had a 'thing' for fusing into Gotenks and creating mega trouble. It'll be like putting hungry saiya-jins in the grocery store.* Nail announced melodramatically.

*That's it Nail! No more TV for you! I knew that 'Superman' was a bad influence.* Kami scolded, shaking his nonexistent finger at Nail.

'Faster than a speeding bullet!' Meece announced. 'When running to the dinner table.'

*Able to leap tall buildings in a single bound!…. with favorable winds.* Nail answered back, in an equally cheesy announcer voice. Piccolo rolled his eyes and Meece blasted past, weaving in zigzags.

'More powerful than a choo-choo…if it is the one in the mall.' Clearly, this was either a conspiracy between Nail and Meece, or some airborne form of insanity.

*It's…Mr. Satan!* Nail yelled, making Piccolo face vault, which is generally a bad thing when you are high in the air. *Wait, no, sorry. We have to find someone stronger that that.* Meece was now turning barrel rolls in the air, leaving a chi afterburn in the sky. Normally she and Dende didn't have enough spare chi to do that with, but apparently she felt she had to use all of her energy at the moment. At this rate she wouldn't have the energy to make it back to Dende's Lookout.

"Papa?" Meece was now struggling to remain airborne just below Piccolo. Turning his head to the side, he let her know she had his full attention. "Are you…" But she paused, unable to say the words. So Piccolo pried into her mind for the question. 'Is Papa proud of Meece?' She asked herself. It was Meece's one weakness, she had yet to learn how to put up her own mental barrier, though breaking through them was getting easier for her. She hadn't learned to lie either, she was too innocent for her own good in Piccolo's mind.

'Meece. Yes.' He said, then turned his attention fully ahead of him. Meece paused for a moment, wondering what he had just said to before it dawned on her. The answer to her unasked question. She gave a shrill squeak and grabbed onto his arm, rubbing her long bangs against his shoulder.

"Dada!" She cooed, reaching up to his face with one of her small hands. Her fingers brushed over his the space between his eyes, and then down one closed eye to rest on his cheek. "Love ya too!" Meece didn't need a book of poetry to tell how much he loved her. She didn't need to understand Shakespeare to know that this was his own way of showing his attachment. Meece was happy with a small smile and an occasional hug, no, she was MORE than happy. She thought her insides would turn out with excitement every time he would rest one large hand on her head. Telepathy and her Kami Heart weren't needed for her to tell what he was feeling.

And Piccolo didn't demand anything from her. Meece already lavished all the spare time (and some of the time she was suppose to spend studying) on him. The few times he had been gone from her for a full day, he found himself suffering something very close to loneliness. Or perhaps it was worry for her. He found her frequent smiles contagious and addictive, he would praise her for completing even the most basic of self-defense moves just to see her smile. Meece loved him for just being him, and it was enough for Piccolo.

After all, he loved her just as much.