Oh yeah, for all you who
want me to tell Piccolo he's sexy and stuff....hehehe, I did XD You'll
have to read to see it though. *laughs*
These Dreams
Part Two
Don't you just hate how time crawls whenever you want it to hurry up and go by?
It drags. It hangs and lingers. It twists itself into smaller and smaller circles like a noose around your brain. Then you wish it'd hurry up and squeeze out your sanity and get it over with.
That's how I felt right then. Oh the joys of being blessed with a disgustingly poetic mind!
Hard as I tried I couldn't even lose myself in Role Playing after I finished writing down what happened a few hours previous. Yahoo was on the fritz again like the piece of crap it is. Chat sucked. Posts were getting eaten. Room lists disappeared. Friends got booted left and right. Argh, will those Yahoo morons EVER stop updating what doesn't need updating?
Six o'clock rolled around after ten years. I surrendered my computer to dad and took my MacDonald's cheeseburger and fries into the other room to watch TV. Nothing was on. It made channel surfing between bites of burger all the more frustrating. I just wanted to hurry up and get back to Piccolo. Not being able to speak about my impatience made the feeling all the more unbearable. Would I go insane first, or would I get back to the Anime world before that?
Luckily for the world, I retained my sanity. Dad went to bed and left me to my own devices. Perfect timing.
I dumped the choir music from my backpack so I could pack my other essentials - my pills and bedtime medicines. My stuffed Wile E. Coyote. One change of clothes(light gray DBZ T-shirt and matching sweats). Three bottles of Arrowhead water. Deodorant, shampoo, a hairbrush and my electric razor. Some makeup, a bag of sanitary pads, a thick notebook and a box of mechanical pencils. My Discman with CDs in one of those CD carrier books. On a whim I added my Piccolo action figure, which I placed in a ziplock bag so I wouldn't lose the turban. Silly, really, since I'd be seeing the real deal soon enough, but it brings me good luck! By the time I stopped shoving different items into my bag, I really had to jam it down before zipping it shut. What I'd give for Capsule technology. Maybe I'll ask Bulma about it if I see her.
Now all I had to do was wait until mom went to bed.
Once again I was online when I shouldn't be, typing with fingers colored orange from my nervously eating half a jumbo bag of Nacho Cheesier Doritos. I don't worry about my weight when I binge on food, it takes a lot for me to gain weight. A massive amount of Doritos wouldn't do that. It did leave me with a touch of heartburn though.
It's ironic...everyone is obsessed with weight loss, but nobody ever mentions people who have the opposite problem. I'm not healthy either. I have no boobs. My arms are like sticks and my shoulderblades stick out. There is nothing between my skin and the tops of my hip bones. And people think that's beautiful?!
Feh, the only thing I like about myself is my knee-length brown hair. At least that startles people into a second look, since the rest of me isn't much to look at.
Cutie Pie, my black and white cat with the long fur, awoke from her spot on my bed. She yawned, stretched and jumped down. I watched her pad up to my door and stretch again, making her claws scrape the door like nails on a chalkboard. It made me cringe.
"No!" I snapped.
Cutie Pie jerked her head around, eyeing me innocently with her rust-colored eyes. She meowed once and cast another longing glance at the door.
"Ugh...fine, I'll let you out. Hold on." I uncurled from my chair and opened the door so she could scramble out. The lights were all out in the living room. Shutting the door, I turned off my computer and put the TV on Cartoon Network so anyone that passed my room would think I fell asleep with the TV on. Then I hurried through all my bedtime rituals, took all my medicines and gathered up my backpack.
Keeping the mirror above my dresser just wasn't safe anymore, not when I had a heavy bookbag throwing off my balance. I took it down, leaning it on the front of my dresser. If anybody got nosey later I'd just tell them I was trying to clean it.
I shut off my bedroom light and took a deep breath. Wrapped my hand around the cold, marble-like Dragonball bauble dangling around my neck. In my dark room the fourteen stars glowed a dull red. Before me, the mirror scintillated as well. It was beautiful, the way it shimmered like the ocean's surface. I stretched out a finger and drew a circle in the watery portal. The mirror rewarded me with a filigree of spiral light and color. Wow, cool!
Okay, enough playing - I almost heard Piccolo say that in the back of my mind. Geez. I knew him a little too well...then again I wouldn't have it any other way.
Er...I get distracted way to easily, don't I?
I shook my head and mussed up my hair a bit, not an easy task considering its length. Then I smoothed it down again. Sighed aloud. Rolled a few sparse strands of arm-hair between my thumb and forefinger until I could yank it painlessly out. I was stalling myself as much as possible.
Wait, why was I stalling? I had dreams to save, dammit! And I certainly didn't do any good staring at my mirror and waiting for everything to save itself.
I got up off my ass and plunged through the rippling portal. The blankness full of geometric shapes didn't phase me anymore, I powered swiftly across it. Something strange tugged the edges of my consciousness. I ignored it, unable to put my finger on it at the time. My small form exited the metal refrigerator door.
"Oof!" A faceful of Piccolo's brick-wall chest greeted me. Hmmm, not a bad place to have my face, if I do say so myself! "Hi Piccolo!" I said, my voice muffled by the thick cloth that smelled mildly of sweat.
Piccolo grunted a wordless response and stepped away from me, letting me notice for the first time that he wore the Anime realm necklace - like mine, but without stars. He didn't look or sound pleased to see me, "You're late. I was beginning to think you'd fallen asleep and forgot to come."
My elation dissipated like a blown-out flame. I balked at his rude greeting. "Well excuse me if my mom took her sweet time going to bed! You told me to come after everyone in my house was asleep. I did what you told me! I mean...come on...argh!" I threw my hands up, sighing. My desire to glomp him evaporated. Smacking him in the mouth would have given me more pleasure right then. I even made a fist in preparation for the action, but stopped, punching Piccolo would only succeed in breaking every bone in my small hand.
"Enough," The green man's whispery voice shushed me. His expression calmed and became more docile, though he still wore that perpetual frown. "I'm not interested in your excuses. Now if you're done whining, leave your bag here and follow me." Piccolo turned away with a swish of his white cape and left the kitchen.
I dropped my bag carelessly behind me and followed him. All the excited energy in my body had vanished into the pit of my Doritos-stuffed stomach. Here I thought this was going to be fun. I'm a fool.
Piccolo stopped and half-turned, fixing me in his intense gaze. I couldn't read his expression, it was neither a smile nor sneer, but chills still went down my spine. Those liquid black orbs were the epitome of apathy.
"Look," he began in a quiet, but firm tone, "This isn't a game. It's not some adventure you're going on for the heck of it. We both have to be serious about this. I don't have time for childish behavior, so stop pouting. You know full well I don't play games, and neither should you. I could give a rat's ass about what you think of me right now, so quit the sympathy-begging routine and hurry up!"
If there were any words I didn't need to hear right then, those were them. I gave Piccolo the finger when he turned back around and hurried to catch up with him.
While we walked he casually added on, "Oh, and the next time you stick that finger up at me, I'll break it off."
Grrrr! How did he do that?!
"Ummm...what finger?" I asked, my mouth stretching into a smarmy grin.
"You know exactly which one, Cyndi." Before I even knew what hit me, Piccolo turned and grabbed a handful of my shirt. His eyes flared like supernova blasts. He yanked me angrily up to eye level and snarled, his fangs gleaming, "For the last time, I will NOT tolerate baby games! Grow up or leave!" Then he flung me down hard on the stone floor and resumed his original path.
Piccolo's sudden outburst left me pretty shaken up and mentally hurt. I'd forgotten that I wouldn't be treated any different than the other people he's trained in the past. I sat there in an unceremonious heap, the coldness of the unforgiving stone floor seeping into my butt. It worked its way up my spine and goosebumps layered my skin. Goosebumps on top of goosebumps.
Tough love. I think I just learned its true meaning.
At that moment I made it a point to do everything right out of spite. Hayden, the director of my church choir, once told me that Roger Wagner used to be a pain in the ass to work with, and that everyone would correct their mistakes just to shut him up. I could sympathize with him.
Just you wait, Piccolo. I'm gonna shove all your teachings back down your throat once I have them mastered! That'll shut his trap! Hmph!
I pushed off the floor and bound after Piccolo before he could disappear into the shadows. This is the part where I sulk and whine like a little brat. You're such a loser, I told myself privately, Now go make up to him or you'll just feel bad for the rest of this journey. But why should I apologize first? Okay...so maybe I did start it by flipping him off like an immature high-schooler.
"Hey, Piccolo?" I caught up with him at last and fell into step with him. "Sorry."
"Forget about it," The sexy green man gave me a sidelong glance and grunted under his breath. He led me up a flight of flawless white steps and stopped before two gilded double doors. The image of a large circle containing a pyramid with an eye in the center was emblazoned in a relief between the doors. Strange hieroglyphics outlined the image.
Before I could inquire about the foreign writing, Piccolo spoke a word in Namekian. The doors ground apart and disappeared on either side. All I saw beyond them was blackness. Empty space. Nothingness.
Then my pupils enlarged and absorbed what little light existed. It came from a red circle on the floor not too far away.
"Come." Piccolo said tersely.
I obeyed without complaint or question. Slipped past him into the chilly darkness that might as well have been outer space. I felt rather than saw Piccolo step in behind me, and the doors rumbled shut. There was a weird smell in this place. I couldn't identify it until Piccolo extended a strong arm and blasted an area of the floor near my feet. Flames erupted from an unseen indentation. They whooshed forth to outline a small pathway, wove around the circle and came back around to light up the other side. From above, it looked like a keyhole shape made of fire. The smell I couldn't previously identify was oil. With the fire it didn't smell too pleasant anymore.
Surprised by the sudden heat, I leapt back and landed squarely on Piccolo's toes. Not that my insignificant weight would hurt him - he could pick me up with his little toe if he really wanted to! I squinted questioningly up at his face, wondering. He looked down with reflections of the fire roaring fiercely through his dark eyes, his expression extremely serious.
Piccolo wordlessly dipped his head and removed his necklace. He stuck his hand out towards me, and I took it as a cue to give him mine, so I slipped mine off and handed it to him. Until then I didn't notice both glowed an eerie orange. He took the two necklaces, walked into the glowing red circle and removed the miniature dragonballs from the ornamental gold dragon's paws. I watched curiously while Piccolo knelt down before a miniature stone dragon and fitted the two orange objects into its upturned claws. As soon as they were settled into place, the fiery orbs shone brightly like two stars. Piccolo glanced over at me as the small Eternal Dragon model sank gently into the floor.
Was it me, or did the flames just shoot up into infinity? No, really! The fire literally stretched up into forever like a waterfall's antithesis. Despite this I felt surprisingly little heat.
A crimson glow spread from the center of the circle Piccolo stood on. It reached its way towards the edges and stopped. Turns out the baubles were placed in the middle of a pattern identical to the one on the doors. My Namekian friend's features looked pretty demonic when lit with the red light from below and the flames all around, reminding me why people once called him the Demon King.
I felt an electrical jolt rip down my body. Pain jarred every nerve from head to toe, it was like being smashed by a sledgehammer! I dropped onto my knees, choking on my own scream. "Wh-what's happening to me?"
"Relax, it'll pass. The shock you felt was your body shifting to its correct form." Piccolo showed no concern for my pain or well-being.
"Correct...?" I looked down at my hands. They were.....real?! I must have looked so out of place, flesh and blood in an entirely anime room.
The Namek just nodded his head towards a spot on the floor in front of him. He'd already assumed the lotus position near the middle of the circle, his hands busy mixing some kind of powder into a metal vial. He put his thumb over the hole on top and shook it vigorously. "This is the place where Kami kept the necklaces until Void's threat became too great to ignore."
"Oh." I joined Piccolo in the circle, my real contours contrasting with the anime ones around me, and sat down on the oddly warm ground in front of him. Though the fire was at least six feet behind me, I warily pulled my long hair over my shoulder and let it coil up in my lap. "What exactly is this place?"
"The Room of Dreaming. It's a dimension that intensifies your dreams and desires. I figured it would make your training easier in the beginning, until you learn control." Piccolo stopped shaking the tiny vial and lifted his thumb away from its top. Strange pinkish steam rose eerily from the opening. He handed it to me and stated simply, "Drink this. It'll help you relax."
"What is it?"
He glared, "Don't ask stupid questions! Just drink it and you'll see for yourself."
Piccolo wouldn't give me anything harmful, I was sure. I took the surprisingly warm vial and sipped tentatively from it. It tasted like shoe-polish and vodka. I winced as it burned my throat and started handing it back to him.
"Drink all of it, Cyndi."
"Can I at least have an olive or something?" I asked hopelessly, but when all I got was another sharp look, I hesitantly drank every last drop. The taste left my throat burning as much as the fire surrounding us.
Within a few seconds, I started to feel heavy. Having been drunk before(one glass of wine does it to me every time), I was all-too-familiar with the buzzing in my head and the sleepy calmness coursing through my veins. My head felt swollen. Spots danced in front of my eyes. Everything happened and I saw it a second or two later, like a tape delay. Reality's hold on me weakened. I was most definitely relaxed!
"I feeeeeel weeeeeeeeeeeeird..."
"You should." Piccolo chuckled at me, almost teasingly. His voice 'echoed' like voices only did when I was almost asleep. "I just gave you a Namekian potion that'll make your mind more receptive to your dreams. Now just settle down and focus. We're going to meditate for awhile and see how well you handle this."
"Okay," I droned, even my tongue felt weighted and sluggish. As I always do when I'm drunk, I started rambling, "Hey Piccolo? I love you! Hehehe! Did I ever tell you you're the most gorgeous, handsome and sexy Namek in the universe?" That line probably spoke for all of Piccolo's female fans. Looking back on it now I wouldn't change a word of it! "Really! You are! And you're so cuuuuuute! I just wanna kiss and cuddle you all over!"
Piccolo's expression changed. He stared at me like I was insane, a brow-ridge raised.
My intoxicated blabbering continued, "Ooh you are just so hot, Piccolo! What would you say if I told you I want to feel up your hot body and have wild, passionate sex with you right here on the floor?" I then went on to tell him exactly what I would do to him. Unfortunately I don't remember the exact words. I do know that it was vulgar, lewd, nasty and very unladylike(according to Piccolo!) - even if I did remember I'd be too embarrassed to repeat it.
This little description went on until...
BONK!
Piccolo faceplanted into my lap, wide-eyed and as mortified as I should have been at the time. He was very quick to get back up...a move that saved him from having his ears fondled. Come on, how many of you out there think Piccolo's ears look like great toys?
"ENOUGH!" Piccolo roared, blushing furiously from his forehead to his chin and sporting at least ten gigantic sweatdrops. His eyes were HUGE! "I SWEAR, YOU FEMALES ARE ALL HORMONE-CRAZED ANIMALS!!" He slowly and deliberately cleared his throat. Regained his briefly-lost composure. Took in a deep breath. Then, bristling, he growled, "C'mon, this is serious."
It's always funny to make Piccolo act that way. Perfect blackmail material for later!
"...riiiiiiiiight." My eyes
became heavier. Whatever substance Piccolo gave me was taking its full
effect. I closed my eyes and let my head fall chin-to-chest as reality
slipped into the background.
I fell. And fell. And FELL! I dropped endlessly, down into the depths of a blue swirl ending in blackness. A mad spiral of noise and chaos. Lightning flashed past and around me like spears intent on impaling my body. I heard my own heart pounding. My hair whipped around against my body, getting hopelessly tangled. Where was Piccolo? For that matter, where was I? I was all alone!
"What's happening?!"
"CONTROL!!" Piccolo's growling voice boomed across my consciousness, "You must get control or you'll just keep falling! This spiral is your own mind locked in fear. Control it!"
The black void came ever-closer and I couldn't stop my descent towards it. I tried, I really did. All that effort and the tornado around me only intensified. A mysterious wind whipped over my body, turning me in confusing circles. I felt like I was being sucked right out of myself and into oblivion!
Nothingness enveloped me. I still felt the falling sensation, but I couldn't see anything around me. Was I dying?! "I can't! Piccolo, help me! I can't! I can't breathe! Help me! PLEASE!"
A streak of electricity jumped across my path and coagulated into Piccolo. He was in his Anime form. I wasn't, my flesh was as real as yours. The Namek floated less than two feet away from me with his arms crossed and his cape rippling. The shadows surrounded his emerald form. How I saw him in the dark is still beyond me.
"This is just a dream, Cyndi. It's not real. Will yourself to stop falling. Put aside your fear and concentrate on ascending. C'mon, I know you can do this, kid. Focus."
Piccolo's pep-talk did little to quell my fear. Nothing he said would convince me that I could control this...this insanity! I struggled desperately for control that I just couldn't attain.
"I...I can't, Piccolo!" I flailed towards him, "Please make this stop! I can't do it! Get me out of here!"
Piccolo wordlessly floated forward and placed a muscular arm around my waist. He pulled me tight against his chest, trapping my hair against my back. His skin felt warm and alive, just like mine.
"Hold on." Piccolo whipped
his cape around our bodies and rose like a rocket up into the swirl above
us.
"Wake up, Cyndi!" Piccolo was shaking my shoulders and talking loudly to me. It seemed like ages before I even had the strength to open my eyes.
I groaned loudly, more dizzy than I'd ever been in my life. Not the spinning kind of dizzy, the headrush kind. Whoever used my skull for a hockey-puck was going to pay! "Uhhhh... What...just...happened?"
"You had a hallucination," Piccolo sighed aloud, his deep voice reverberating through my head. He appeared angry with himself, the way he frowned and tightened his pointed jaw. "Looks like I overestimated the dosage and underestimated the effects it would have on you. You've lost weight since our first meeting two years ago." He gave a nearly imperceptible sigh, "Next time we do this, I'll give you half the dose and see what happens."
"Um...no way, you're not getting me stoned on that shit again!" I made a weak attempt at getting up, but my legs buckled like rubber. I fell right back down again. I was so wasted that I couldn't even walk!
My Namekian friend uncurled from the floor. He came closer and, putting one hand under my knees and the other behind my back, lifted me like a feather. "Up you go." I didn't register the lapse between him being far and then suddenly near. I just blinked and his face was right there. He smirked, shaking his head. "Don't worry, it'll wear off in a few hours. Just sleep it off."
I didn't give much of a fight when I was picked up. I wrapped my arms around Piccolo's neck and laid my head on his padded shoulder. "I'm sorry I didn't do so good." I sniffled a little, "I'll do better next time, I promise. I just...I don't know...wasn't expecting it to be so hard."
"Relax. The first time is always rough." Piccolo's soft voice spoke right into my ear, so close that I felt his warm breath. "Like I said earlier, we'll try again later with a smaller dose. Less traumatic. Just make sure your thoughts are calm. You've got the habit of thinking too much."
"Oh shut up." I mused. "It's better than thinking too little, like Vegeta."
That got a chuckle out of him.
"Wait..." Cracking one eye open, I peered at him, "What if Void attacks me in my dreams while I'm asleep? I mean...what if I can't wake up?"
"Not on my watch, kid." Piccolo carried me through the heavy golden doors and down the corridor to the room where Trunks and Goten slept during the Buu Saga. The bed was extremely comfortable and bouncy. Piccolo let me fall onto the mattress, climbed on and sat facing me in the lotus position. If I reached over I'd be able to touch his legs.
Even though that green bastard practically took me on an acid trip, I still felt safe with him standing(sitting?) guard over me while I rested. I even sat up and gave him a little smooch on the tip of his pointed nose, which made his cheeks flush purple and his nose wrinkle into sneer. How cute! "G'night, Piccolo...no sneaking off once I'm asleep."
Piccolo hunched his shoulders, glowering down at me. He obviously wasn't in the mood to be talked to, "Feh...just shut up and go to sleep so I can think."
I decided my best bet was
to do what Piccolo said. Curling my arms around an imaginary Wile E. Coyote
toy, I shut my eyes. I drifted in and out of consciousness for a while
before sleep finally claimed me.
Sunlight reflected brightly off the smooth stone walls. During the night Piccolo had moved off the bed and taken up a more comfortable spot across the room. He looked like a statue draped in white cloth to keep birds off, the way his features were so angular and the manner that his cape hung in folds around him.
I swung my legs around, cringing in expectation of a freezing cold floor, and slipped off the soft mattress. The floor turned out to be warm like cement sitting in the sun on a nice spring day. My backpack was leaned against the bed. Piccolo must have retrieved it for me while I was asleep - I'd thank him for it later. He looked so peaceful in his meditation, almost smiling, and I didn't want to disturb him.
Digging through the stuff in my bag, I retrieved my pill bottle and used a sip of bottled water to wash my morning dose down. I glanced Piccolo's way. The Namek hadn't moved. Good, I didn't need him getting grumpy at me for waking him up. I shifted more items around and yanked out my Discman, a CD already inside. I didn't remember which one. I guess I'll surprise myself.
Okay, time for breakfast. I tip-toed over to Piccolo and left a bottled water next to his left knee. He never so much as twitched, I guess he was really deep in his thoughts.
The sunlight was bright when I emerged outside. Should've brought my shades...oh well. I pressed the ON button on my CD player to get the music started and headed for the deserted kitchen. Hey, I'll just cook for myself! A fried egg can't be too hard, can it?
I grabbed what I needed, the eggs from the fridge and a frying pan. Now I'm no whizz in the kitchen, but as long as it's simple I manage. My talent ends at grilled cheese sandwiches - however I make some darn good ones according to my dad.
By the time I had the stove burning and the pan ready, I was oblivious to everything but my CD. I cracked two eggs over the hot pan, getting pieces of the shell all over everything. How did my mom crack eggs open without getting pieces of the shell everywhere? Oh well, I could always clean it up after I ate.
I started getting into the music while I shook the pan back and forth over the burner. Before I knew it I was moving my hips from side to side and singing into a fork along with Heart. "These dreams go on when I close my eyes...every second of the night, I live another life..."
My egg was almost done cooking. I picked up the pan and flipped the egg up like I'd seen professionals do, and I caught it again! Yay for me! I was so hungry that I wished it would hurry up and cook...how do you tell when an egg is done again? I poked the white part with my fork and it seemed solid enough, so it must have been done. Worth the chance, considering I was pretty hungry by then.
I was still singing when I stabbed the egg with my fork and shoved it onto a plate. That went well, I decided to start another. Two eggs are better than one. While egg number two cooked, I nibbled on its unfortunate brother. Yum, it melted in my mouth and slid warmly down my throat.
Okay, time to be the Iron Chef again. I elevated the frying pan and whipped the egg straight up. Oops, not very straight that time! I took a few steps back to catch the flying egg and - SMACK - ran into another body standing behind me. A rock-hard frame that didn't move an inch.
"YAAH!!!" I sprang a foot straight up. Yanked my earphones down around my neck and whirled around, blushing furiously from my forehead to my chin.
Piccolo stood there, looking at me oddly. Maybe he didn't like my singing?
Then...
SPLAT!
The egg I'd flung up in the air landed squarely on his turban. He grimaced and blinked at me with one eye a little larger than the other. Then he sweatdropped and looked up as half-cooked egg-white ran down the sides of his green face. It looked more like...well my mind is pretty sick, so use your imagination. I watched a long string of white goo drip between his sharply-defined brow ridges and ooze down his nose. A large sweatdrop formed on his temple.
Embarrassed as I was, the sight of Piccolo with an egg on his head and the look on his face was...oh my God...it was just too funny for words! I burst into hysterics right there on the spot. "Hi Piccolo......BWAAAA HA HA HA HA!!! Breakfast is on you! AAAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!"
Piccolo quickly regained his composure, bared his ivory fangs and growled at me. He wiped the egg off his face the best he could. A hot yellow burst of ki removed the rest. "Thanks, but no thanks." The Namek didn't even snicker at his own misfortune. He went right to business, his voice gruff, "Hurry up and eat so we can go back to training. I saw Void in my meditation and she was a lot stronger than I first thought."
Great, so much for my laughing fit. Piccolo's words stopped my giggling as easily as a slap. "What?!" I stabbed my egg's yolk and watched the yellow bleed all over the plate. "Piccolo...be honest. Did my coming here for the first time in years trigger her return?"
Piccolo walked over next to me, turned around and leaned his weight back against the counter. He rested one foot against the cabinets and crossed his ridged arms. I saw him curl his lip at my food. "I doubt it. I don't know what caused her resurfacing yet. All I know is she's going after the Believers. Now that they know what's going on, she's causing them terrible nightmares. Nightmares so bad that some of them don't want to follow us anymore." His narrow nostrils flared, but his expression remained stoic, "We can't lose this one, Cyndi."
I finished my egg and shoved the plate roughly aside. "Do we have a chance?"
Slowly, almost hesitantly, Piccolo nodded. "As long as we train our minds to be stronger than her will, yeah. It will not be a pretty sight when we go after her. She'll mess with your head and twist your thoughts. If you're strong enough you'll see through her tricks. But if not...well let's just not think about it."
"Then I guess we'll - " My voice choked off when I saw another form enter the kitchen area.
Dende came limping into view with bruises all over his visible skin. He was all sweaty and haggard, his antennae drooped lower than normal. He looked like he'd been through Hell and back ten times in a row. As he came closer I could hear him panting for breath through a half-open mouth.
"Void...sh-she came into my dream and attacked me...I couldn't fight back!"
I shot Piccolo a glance, "You didn't tell me Void's dream attacks had physical effects!"
"They didn't before," Piccolo growled deeply and hurried over to assist the smaller Namekian. He helped him to a kitchen chair and pushed him to sit down. "Dende, what did she do to you? Can you remember?"
Dende shook his head slowly, drawing his brow into a small frown. On his softer, slightly rounded features, the expression didn't seem quite as natural as it did on Piccolo. He'd gone from a cute little kid to a shy, handsome young man, something I'd just noticed since I never paid too much attention to Dende before. "All I know is she was all around me."
I felt pretty stupid just standing there without offering help. Shaking my head, I approached the table where the two Nameks had gathered and said, "This is getting out of hand. How are we supposed to train when Void gets stronger by the second?!"
Dende's dark eyes went from Piccolo to me. "You're the one that helped defeat Void the first time, aren't you?"
"Yeah. The name's Cyndi. Nice to meet you." I answered as quickly as politely possible.
Dende, careworn from his nightmare, glanced at Piccolo again. Piccolo tightened his triangular jaw muscles, wrestling with his thoughts. "This training isn't something I can push on you like battle training. We need more time and I doubt the Hyperbolic Time Chamber would aid us. You still need to gain control of your own thoughts before moving beyond the Room of Dreaming. Void can't reach your mind in there because it exists on a different plane. So trying to train beyond there before you're ready is just inviting disaster." He turned to Dende, "From now until Void is defeated, I want you to sleep in the Room of Dreaming. We can't chance her attacking you again."
Still visibly shaken, Dende nodded affirmatively. "Please, I'd like to be alone."
Piccolo didn't hesitate once, like he was waiting for an excuse to leave the area. He disappeared through the kitchen door with a swish of his white cape.
I cast a withering glance back at Dende and smiled a little, "Nice meeting you, Dende. We're gonna get Void, don't you worry."
Dende's sad gaze bit into mine, "Nice meeting you, too." He managed a smile despite his ragged appearance, "I hope so."
I didn't feel very energetic when I exited the kitchen and joined Piccolo outside. The tall Namek stood, staring at the horizon from the edge of the Lookout. I've rarely seen his face as grim as it was then, his lips pulled into a tight line and his brow ridges drawn low to shadow his onyx eyes. A cool breeze played through his cape and sent my hair swishing against my arms.
This was no time for him to stand all alone.
Unwarranted, I strolled up to Piccolo's side and, slipping my hand up under his billowing cape, started rubbing his broad back. He made a small hissing sound and stiffened slightly, but didn't object. When was the last time someone rubbed his back for him anyway? A funny picture of Piccolo purring in delight while I scratched him behind the ears came to mind. I giggled inwardly and leaned against his rock-hard frame.
I felt stronger when I stood near him, he was my shield against the horrors of life. Sure there were people stronger than him, but to me, nobody compares to this big green guy. Anybody can be buff and kick ass, that doesn't make them the best. It takes a real warrior to know he or she isn't the strongest and still be cunning enough to win an otherwise losing battle.
No offense, but I think Saiyajins are really just fighting machines. Their anger always clouds their judgment. I have yet to see Piccolo make a bad decision because someone pissed him off.
Finally I couldn't take the silence anymore. I had to know what went through Piccolo's ever-brooding mind. "Hey, Piccolo? What're you thinking about?"
Piccolo heaved a sigh through his pointed nose and reluctantly draped an arm around my neck, pulling me up against him. Almost a headlock, but considering our large height differences, I knew it was just his way of being affectionate. I swear I'll never get over how strong his arms are. "Just trying to figure out a way of squeezing your training into a shorter amount of time. I may just take you into the Time Chamber and do it the hard way."
I swallowed. The acid trip in the Room of Dreaming was the EASY WAY?!
"That means..." he went on, "...that we must learn to attune to each others' minds."
"And how will we accomplish that?"
"Deep meditation." Piccolo stated simply. He tightened his arm around my neck and crushed me against his side a bit. There was a smirk behind his voice the next time he spoke, "But first, I want to take you through one more session in the Room of Dreaming. This time I will initiate the dream and draw you in, it'll be the first step in tuning our minds together."
"I didn't know you could dream at will, Piccolo!" I twisted my head around to look up at him...which was quite a long way.
He glanced down at me and grinned, showing his fangs. When he spoke his voice vibrated against my cheekbone. "What? You think I just sit and think when I meditate? Hmph. My meditation is the equivalent of a catnap. It refreshes me. Haven't you noticed that I don't spend a lot of time actually sleeping?"
Well that was certainly an interesting tidbit. "I figured you had to sleep at least a little."
"Unless I'm sick, I only need to sleep once a week...maybe more if I'm preparing for a fight." Piccolo moved his gaze back to the horizon. His grin vanished just as swiftly and mysteriously as it appeared. He slid his arm away from my neck and gave my back a quick pat. "C'mon, let's get started."