Morning came early, and as the sun shifted its weight over the horizon
Vegeta groaned. Rolling out of the bed he stood rubbing fists into his
eyes. The Jack Daniels bottle lay on its side, forgotten after falling
into the cushions. Stumbling slowly into the bathroom, Vegeta showered in
a vicious torrent of icy water.
Shaking out his hair and toweling off, he grinned as snippets of the previous nights events popped into his head. First things first however, he had been lax in his training, he hadn't been in the GR yesterday at all and the thought of the Namek's problems had destroyed his concentration for well over a month. He was damned if he would let himself slip any further below Kakkarot.
The gravity room was a welcome sight, the red lights glared as soon as he made his presence known, the machine already thrumming to life and preparing the gravity. Vegeta resisted the urge to cackle when the heavy force of five hundred times gravity pressed into his shoulders. As he started moving through his kata's the sweat was already beginning to bead at his temple and he promised himself if he finished a thorough day of training that was at least satisfactory, he'd find out how cool the water at the waterfall was.
~*~*~*~
Gohan smiled down at his sleeping wife and kissed her forehead gently as he slipped on his coat. She wouldn't be up for another hour at least, it was only five in the morning after all. He scribbled a quick note and left it on the table, checked in on Panny and shut the door silently behind him.
He was still disturbed at the news his senses had told him last night. He didn't want to think that they were true by any means, but if they were he sure as hell wanted to be one of the first people to know, Piccolo had been his mentor and second-father his entire life. The air was chilly for early summer, but the cloudless sky and orange sun promised that the heat would soon be unbearable. The waterfall wasn't very far away really. Gohan and Videl had planned their house and set it up midway between his parent's house and Satan City, it left the area he had known so well as a child well within his reach while still keeping them close enough to civilization for Videl to be comfortable. ChiChi had liked the idea as well, after Gohan had finished his schooling and become a teacher, he could do no wrong. Goku was simply glad that his son was happy and successful. If Gohan had lived in a decrepit building and scooped spare change out of the wishing wells to get by, Goku would have been glad for him as long as Gohan enjoyed it.
Gohan could smell the water before he heard it, the cascade of crystal water looked like cut glass, and there at it's base floating aimlessly in meditation, was Piccolo. Gohan landed on the river bank and looked around at the familiar land he had long abandoned after finding his family. He smiled and sat down on a flat stone near a large redwood and watched his sensei. He knew that Piccolo could sense him and waited to be acknowledged. After several minutes had passed, Piccolo finally raised his head and nodded to the youth before he descended.
"It's been a long time since you've been here. Is everything alright?" Piccolo's voice remained gruff and low, but his eyes shone with worry. Even though he had seen less and less of Gohan as the boy grew and became a scholar, he was still etched deeply into his heart.
Gohan shook his head, "Oh there's nothing wrong, I just thought I'd see how you were doing, you know?" Piccolo remained stolid. Gohan fidgeted a little under the indifferent gaze, "I mean, it's been a long time since we've caught up."
Piccolo nodded and sat under the redwood. "I'm fine, if that's what you mean."
"Well, that's good. But I meant, more like." Gohan struggled for words, a light blush spreading across his cheeks. Piccolo arched an eye ridge and watched the demi squirm.
"Spit it out, Gohan."
Scratching the back of his head, Gohan gave a shaky laugh, Piccolo thought of how much he looked like his father. "It's just that, last night.why were you really over at Bulma's?"
This time Piccolo could feel a blush bite at his cheeks and he couldn't meet the half ling's eyes. "It's none of your concern."
Gohan laughed. "You sound like Vegeta." The blush deepened in Piccolo's face and Gohan nodded, more serious. "There's something going on with you and Vegeta isn't there?" Piccolo nodded only once and Gohan grunted. "I knew it!" His voice was angry. Piccolo looked up at him in surprise and curiosity.
"What's wrong, Gohan?"
"I figured after he came into the kitchen covered in your blood that something was going on. He's been more violent than ever for quite a while. I didn't think he'd take it out on another Z member!"
Piccolo snorted, "Calm down." Gohan huffed for another moment before calming entirely. "It's not what you think."
"Then what happened?"
"I bit my lip." Piccolo looked at his lap.
"How did he get blood all over his face if you bit your." Gohan's face burnt bright red.
Taking a little confidence at the other's embarrassment and trying to cover his own, Piccolo grinned. "Well, I didn't bite it the first time."
"So Vegeta.and then you.but that would mean." Gohan's mouth hung open. "You're kidding right?"
Piccolo shook his head. As if to prove his point, Piccolo leaned forward and showed the even cut along the inside. It would have healed over night, but the damned thing was annoying and he kept tonguing it unconsciously during his meditations.
"Wow, Piccolo, I don't know what to say." Gohan slumped back, still in shock.
"You don't have to say anything." Piccolo crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back into the tree.
The watch on Gohan's wrist beeped and he checked. Videl and Pan would both be up and he told Videl in the note that he would be back before Pan left for preschool. Gohan stood and scratched his head again. "If you're happy, then I'm happy for you." Piccolo had stood and looked down at the demi with a small smile.
"Thank you, Gohan."
Gohan leapt into the sky, waving behind him to the Namek. "Bye, Piccolo! You should come by sometime. Don't be a stranger!"
Piccolo watched him fly off and shook his head. He was a little paranoid at what the demi might say but it didn't really matter. It was a hard concept to accept and most of the gang wouldn't get it. And truthfully, he didn't care.
Shaking out his hair and toweling off, he grinned as snippets of the previous nights events popped into his head. First things first however, he had been lax in his training, he hadn't been in the GR yesterday at all and the thought of the Namek's problems had destroyed his concentration for well over a month. He was damned if he would let himself slip any further below Kakkarot.
The gravity room was a welcome sight, the red lights glared as soon as he made his presence known, the machine already thrumming to life and preparing the gravity. Vegeta resisted the urge to cackle when the heavy force of five hundred times gravity pressed into his shoulders. As he started moving through his kata's the sweat was already beginning to bead at his temple and he promised himself if he finished a thorough day of training that was at least satisfactory, he'd find out how cool the water at the waterfall was.
~*~*~*~
Gohan smiled down at his sleeping wife and kissed her forehead gently as he slipped on his coat. She wouldn't be up for another hour at least, it was only five in the morning after all. He scribbled a quick note and left it on the table, checked in on Panny and shut the door silently behind him.
He was still disturbed at the news his senses had told him last night. He didn't want to think that they were true by any means, but if they were he sure as hell wanted to be one of the first people to know, Piccolo had been his mentor and second-father his entire life. The air was chilly for early summer, but the cloudless sky and orange sun promised that the heat would soon be unbearable. The waterfall wasn't very far away really. Gohan and Videl had planned their house and set it up midway between his parent's house and Satan City, it left the area he had known so well as a child well within his reach while still keeping them close enough to civilization for Videl to be comfortable. ChiChi had liked the idea as well, after Gohan had finished his schooling and become a teacher, he could do no wrong. Goku was simply glad that his son was happy and successful. If Gohan had lived in a decrepit building and scooped spare change out of the wishing wells to get by, Goku would have been glad for him as long as Gohan enjoyed it.
Gohan could smell the water before he heard it, the cascade of crystal water looked like cut glass, and there at it's base floating aimlessly in meditation, was Piccolo. Gohan landed on the river bank and looked around at the familiar land he had long abandoned after finding his family. He smiled and sat down on a flat stone near a large redwood and watched his sensei. He knew that Piccolo could sense him and waited to be acknowledged. After several minutes had passed, Piccolo finally raised his head and nodded to the youth before he descended.
"It's been a long time since you've been here. Is everything alright?" Piccolo's voice remained gruff and low, but his eyes shone with worry. Even though he had seen less and less of Gohan as the boy grew and became a scholar, he was still etched deeply into his heart.
Gohan shook his head, "Oh there's nothing wrong, I just thought I'd see how you were doing, you know?" Piccolo remained stolid. Gohan fidgeted a little under the indifferent gaze, "I mean, it's been a long time since we've caught up."
Piccolo nodded and sat under the redwood. "I'm fine, if that's what you mean."
"Well, that's good. But I meant, more like." Gohan struggled for words, a light blush spreading across his cheeks. Piccolo arched an eye ridge and watched the demi squirm.
"Spit it out, Gohan."
Scratching the back of his head, Gohan gave a shaky laugh, Piccolo thought of how much he looked like his father. "It's just that, last night.why were you really over at Bulma's?"
This time Piccolo could feel a blush bite at his cheeks and he couldn't meet the half ling's eyes. "It's none of your concern."
Gohan laughed. "You sound like Vegeta." The blush deepened in Piccolo's face and Gohan nodded, more serious. "There's something going on with you and Vegeta isn't there?" Piccolo nodded only once and Gohan grunted. "I knew it!" His voice was angry. Piccolo looked up at him in surprise and curiosity.
"What's wrong, Gohan?"
"I figured after he came into the kitchen covered in your blood that something was going on. He's been more violent than ever for quite a while. I didn't think he'd take it out on another Z member!"
Piccolo snorted, "Calm down." Gohan huffed for another moment before calming entirely. "It's not what you think."
"Then what happened?"
"I bit my lip." Piccolo looked at his lap.
"How did he get blood all over his face if you bit your." Gohan's face burnt bright red.
Taking a little confidence at the other's embarrassment and trying to cover his own, Piccolo grinned. "Well, I didn't bite it the first time."
"So Vegeta.and then you.but that would mean." Gohan's mouth hung open. "You're kidding right?"
Piccolo shook his head. As if to prove his point, Piccolo leaned forward and showed the even cut along the inside. It would have healed over night, but the damned thing was annoying and he kept tonguing it unconsciously during his meditations.
"Wow, Piccolo, I don't know what to say." Gohan slumped back, still in shock.
"You don't have to say anything." Piccolo crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back into the tree.
The watch on Gohan's wrist beeped and he checked. Videl and Pan would both be up and he told Videl in the note that he would be back before Pan left for preschool. Gohan stood and scratched his head again. "If you're happy, then I'm happy for you." Piccolo had stood and looked down at the demi with a small smile.
"Thank you, Gohan."
Gohan leapt into the sky, waving behind him to the Namek. "Bye, Piccolo! You should come by sometime. Don't be a stranger!"
Piccolo watched him fly off and shook his head. He was a little paranoid at what the demi might say but it didn't really matter. It was a hard concept to accept and most of the gang wouldn't get it. And truthfully, he didn't care.