~ Two Worlds, One Heart ~

Sequel to Evening

Disclaimer: I don't own DragonBallZ or any of its characters. I do, however, my plot line, and the story Evening.

I am sorry!!!!!!!!!  I have had the world's worst writer's block, and was just now able to write the rest of this chapter! I am deeply sorry, my mind just needed a break from this fic for a little while, for last night it just hit me and I wrote it all at once! I hope some of you are still reading, though most have probably given up on me and the fic, this is gonna be a great fic I think, and it'd be a shame if you missed out on it!

Clears her throat with a blush But I digress, here is the first chapter of Two Worlds, One Heart…

Chapter 1: Tiger's Den

     Piccolo stood at the entrance of his cave, his back resting heavily against the cold stood archway as the wind faintly brushed past. His thoughts, as always, stretched out to Dawn as he gazed out over the bleak forest below.

    The trees were heavy with snow from the last storm of the winter, and the sky was gray with no sign of allowing the sun's light to escape. The dull, dismal landscape laid out before him made him sigh inaudibly. It all seemed so fitting to him; the cold, barren forest in sync with his now barren heart.

 It had been quite some time since he had seen Dawn last, and even then she seemed strikingly different. Piccolo closed his eyes and crossed his arms, remembering his last faint image of his 'daughter'. She looked to be fourteen, or so in human years, her hair falling smooth to the middle of her upper arm. Luckily for Dawn, her ears were now proportionate with her head, and did not look quite so large and floppy. The remainder was close to how it had appeared in her youth. Her hands resembling something closer to paws than actually hands, with her fifth digit low enough to act as a pose able thumb. The fur covering those paws much the same length as before, if not slightly sleeker; the same going for her feet and calves.

His brow deepened. That was not the change that he most vividly remembered. No, it was her eyes, and her expression that changed most drastically. Dawn's eyes were serious, cautious, and fierce. They were not those that had belonged to her before, those sparkling, carefree eyes. The eyes always filled with warmth and trust.

Trust, Piccolo smirked bitterly, 'She has me to thank for that…' He had broken her trust after all. He had lied to her. He could remember the hurt in those sapphire orbs when he explained the truth behind her birth. He had driven her to want to live with her parents.

'I have Ken'ichi to thank for the rest…' he growled inwardly as his eyes opened to the bleak landscape before him.  Dawn's expression had been truly that of a collected predator, honed to her instincts. She had most certainly taken life. Piccolo's features softened sadly, he hoped it had not been human life; that her mind had not forgotten about her human roots, about her mother.

Piccolo swallowed deeply, '…her mother.' His jaw grew tense; the mere thought of Eve made his heart ache. Even after all that time, he still missed her as if she had just died. "If only you were here, you would know what to do." Quickly Piccolo forcibly shook her image from his mind. She would be back one day, he knew it.

Often he wondered why he worried so much for Dawn, and why he searched for her so frequently. After all, she had promised to return. Piccolo laughed shortly, 'Only fifteen more days… ' He wondered, what she looked like now, and more importantly, if she was still the same girl that had left.

The namake's thoughts were broken as he felt a ki signature sailing towards him. A smile lightly brushed his lips. 'Gohan…' The boy was headed towards the forest, as he did at least once everyday, looking for Dawn. His onyx eyes watched as his former pupil came into view. The teen waved at Piccolo with a broad smile before descending into the forest below. Gohan had grown considerably in a year; he was now attending high school, as he understood it. He was proud of his skills, and the fact he strived to make more of himself. As much as he'd hate to openly admit, he approved of his studies, though without the same ferocity as his mother.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Gohan felt his sensei's ki as he approached, and grinned. He searched for Dawn everyday, and even though he deeply missed her, that was not his true intent for flying all the way out there. It had been for the first month or more, but then, once he realized dawn wasn't going to be found, he merely came to keep Piccolo company.

He laughed shortly as he waved to him; watching over the forest in which Dawn lay hidden for five months now. His old teacher would never agree to his visits if he thought they were solely for his benefit. So he continued the charade that he was already out there, so he might as well stay there a while. Whether or not Piccolo truly believed that, or was humoring him was unknown.

He finally touched earth, and inhaled the cool forest air deeply. 'Here goes yet another redundant search!' she smiled and began hiking, looking for signs of her presence, trails, and that sort of thing; though all half-heartedly, he had done this countless times now, and found nothing.

-------------------------------------------------

Her eyes scanned the foliage before her, and she inhaled deeply, taking in the scent of her prey. 'It's close…' Her ears drew back against her skull, and her body remained ridged, unmoving as she remained crouched. Eve her breathing became scarce as she laid in wait, her eyes unwavering, tail poised over the earth.

'Now!' In a blinding flash on movement, the silence was broken, and the bushed gave under her wait. She could feel the raccoon's body give under her wait, it's bones cracking loudly, and it's last breath a scream of agony.  For good measure she lowered her head, and wrapped her fangs around its neck, and with a quick jerk to the side, snapped it's neck, quite nearly ripping the head from its motionless shoulders.

Dawn's ears slide forward, eyes still cold and collective. She studied the lifeless being, crushed under her forepaws. 'Life…' she thought inwardly. This creature's life had ended, in order to allow her's to continue.

Vaguely, she remembered when killing did not come so freely to her. Dawn remembered the endless stream of tears that had followed her first kill. But soon, she learned, if she did not kill, she would starve. 'I cannot die yet…' she reminded herself as she stood slowly, holding the lithe carcass in her left hand, claws gently wrapping about it, not damaging it further. 'I promised him, and I will return, stronger.'

Her sapphire eyes closed for a moment and she sighed deeply, an image of Piccolo engraved in her mind. She had seen him just a week ago. He had been looking for her, as he did everyday, though he didn't seem to be looking for her anymore, just vaguely looking, hoping to see her.

The look that had graced his face that moment had made her heart stop for a moment. The sadness, and loneliness had been stark, and all too real. Dawn knew he would miss her, but she had not expected him to look so, lost.

Dawn scoffed and started back towards her den, 'I will return, he'll get better.' She told herself. As she walked her eyes studied ever leave and twig as she passed, but all without a passing thought. It was all automatic. 'There is a snake to my left, eating a mouse…no… a mole.' All this information passed her mind, without becoming true thoughts, but just common knowledge as she stalked along. Not a sound came from her stealthy form.

It was several yards later that she came to her den. It was a drastic depression in the earth in front of a great oak. And a limestone cavern opened at its base. The opening was just large enough for her to comfortable crawl through, three feet in diameter or so. But the inside was much larger. The opening remained small for a foot, until it drastically dropped off about five feet. Dawn could easily stand inside, though she had to trim the tree roots back a little with her teeth occasionally to keep it that way. It was about eight or nine feet long and six feet wide. Perfect.

She had found it by chance after she had left Ken 'ichi's care. She had finally reached the age when she was to roam alone, until she found a mate, and had cubs. Dawn had been very fortunate to find such a prime den, without having to fight for it.

Dawn knelt to enter her home, but she heard something, ' three yards, south east ' She stood and looked down at her prey, before tossing it into her den, hoping nothing would get cocky and go in her den after it. Her eyes glared in the direction she had heard the sound, annoyed, ' It's downwind…' she huffed and started in its direction cautiously

---------------------------------------------

Gohan hiked along a vaguely marked path, though it didn't seem to be made by any animal he knew. 'I've probably just gotten rusty, that's all.' He shrugged as he followed it, being wary as he did so, seeing as how it looked very recently used.

As he trekked onward, he began to get a nervous feeling inside. 'Why do I have butterflies in my stomach all of a sudden?' He blinked and stopped. He thought he'd heard something.

The half saiyan waited for the longest time, but he heard nothing, so he continued.

-------------------------------------------

Dawn stopped after traveling a little while in that direction. The loud foot steps, and no regard to what might hear them. 'Human, has to be.'  In an instant of thought, it was too close, she could not return to her lair at the moment, so she darted to the right and expertly hid herself in the thick brush. She silently thanked her appearance, for her stripes made her seem to disappear when in the thick foliage of the forest.

Her muscles grew tense as it passed her, unaware of her presence; much to her relief. But worry plagued her then, 'What if it find's my den?'

Dawn resisted the urge to leap forth, and prevent the human from taking her prey for himself. As odd as it sounded, they did that, a lot. If you just left your kill unattended, hunter would take it as an easy meal. But she waited,'I can go a night without food, several in fact, I'll just have to go hunting again tonight.'

Her eyes closed as he passed her, and the wind brought his scent to her. It nearly brought a gasp from her lips. 'It's Gohan!' Panic gripped her, this was too close, but if she moved now, he would see her, and with his super speed, he would easily catch her.

'Would that be so bad?' she thought offhandedly, her six months were nearly up after all, going back early wouldn't hurt that badly would it? Dawn berated her self then, 'No, that would show weakness.' Instead she remained still, barely breathing, knowing the human, only yards away, was no ordinary human.

-------------------------------------------

 Gohan passed a large section of brush and paused for half a second before continuing, something was hiding from him, nearby too. He couldn't tell what it was, but he had the unmistakable feeling that he was being watched, and by a formidable presence.

He wondered if it might be Dawn, but decided it probably wasn't, why would she allow him so close now? They had gotten all but one glimpse at her in the entire five months of her absence. But his thoughts were broken as he entered a faint clearing, well more of a hole in the earth.

It reminded him of a sinkhole he had seen in a book once, where the limestone and rock beneath the topsoil had been eroded by underground streams and made the top layer of earth sink to replace the limestone. Gohan shook his head, returning back to reality to see the cave like hole on the opposite bank of the gap. The tree over it was massive, but he could easily see that the limestone held it firmly in place.

Curious, as always, Gohan hopped down and knelt by the opening. He could feel cold air rising from inside, "Wow! This must be a cave" Without further hesitation he leaned his head in until it gave way to a large cavern type opening under the tree. He looked at the cave's contents suddenly. There was a large heap of straw, leaves and fur in the farthest wall, and then there was a pile of bones, and then a dead raccoon right beneath him. 'This is a tiger den…' He swallowed hard, worried that the tiger would return to see him invading its space.

Gohan crawled back enough to free his upper body of the hole and he stood. His eyes narrowed as he felt a strong presence behind him, he turned slowly and met its gaze, only to have his eyes widen and his jaw fall slightly a gap.

"D… Dawn?"

---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

----------------------------------------------------------          ~ * ~           ------------------------------------------------------------------

… to be continued!

Heehehe sorry that I made the first chapter a cliffie! I had to, otherwise it would have been another thousand or so words long. It was for you health, reading for hours on the computer is bad for your eyes!

I apologize again for the huge delay in this chapter! And I hope I still have some fan out there!