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These Dreams
Part Ten
"This will not be as simple as last time," Piccolo explained to me. "What we did before was mere child's play. This time we're going to a time and place in our memories. Anywhere, anytime you want. You will probably be the age you were when the memory was created in your mind. That's okay...just make sure you don't forget it isn't real."
We were sitting knee-to-knee in the Anime half of the room, the white floor glowing below us. It was cold, unlike last time. I struggled to avoid shivering with all my might.
"Well...what if I DO forget it isn't real?"
Piccolo leveled his eyes with mine, frowning, "I'm not sure. I will be delving into my own memory as well. We may just meet up somewhere in the middle. Since my mindpower is stronger than yours, we'll probably see more of my memories than yours, but that'll work. Heh," Half his mouth quirked into a wry smirk, "This is the first time I've ever trained someone else while training myself. That old bastard Kami is a..."
"Plethora of knowledge?" I butted in, grinning and leaning forward to rest my elbows on my knees.
Nodding his head, Piccolo sighed through his nose, "I suppose. What are you? A walking dictionary?"
"Heh, maybe. Are you smart?"
"Of course," he snapped.
"Then spell it."
"I-T." Piccolo rolled his eyes at me, "I heard that un-original joke from King Kai." He clenched his teeth and growled, obviously running low on patience, "Now let's quit messing around and get to our training! Remember, you may forget you're dreaming when you enter whichever memory you choose. You may even forget everything you knew after the memory took place. The trick is realizing it's not real. This is a tough one, kid. We might be children when we find each other."
I clasped my hands in my lap and gushed, "Aww, seeing you as a child would be sweet!"
"No, it wouldn't. You forget I was evil before I met Gohan. If my memory regresses, I might attack you," said Piccolo tersely. "Then again, I might remember something nicer. Never know."
That made me laugh. "Heheh, prepare to enter the Nexus."
Piccolo arched an eyeridge.
"Nevermind...you'd have to see Star Trek: Generations to understand what I'm talking about. Basically it's a place where time has no meaning and you can live any kind of life you want - or go back and re-live your past, maybe doing things differently. But when you get there, you don't care about where you came from. It's like Heaven."
My Namekian friend didn't look too pleased with my incessant babble. He roughly grabbed my hands, closed his fingers around them and hissed at me, "Stop stalling! You always talk when you should be focusing!" His tone cooled, "Let's begin our meditation. I don't want to hear you say another word until we meet in the trance."
Will I ever learn?
"Another word." I smirked and closed my eyes.
Piccolo backhanded me hard across the mouth. He grabbed my shirt so I wouldn't go flying and yanked me angrily forward. His coal-black eyes smoldered and his jaw muscles tightened. For a moment there was only the warm puff of his breath on my cheek and the anger in his eyes. Then he spoke, growling, "Listen here and listen good! This training is serious business. I don't have time for your childish antics! We've wasted enough time fooling around! Now if you don't mind..." he pushed me roughly back and resumed his meditative pose, "...I'd like to get started."
I felt as if a heavy boulder just dropped into the pit of my stomach. My eyes welled up and my lower lip pushed itself slightly outwards. The goofy elation bubble swelling inside me popped. I became listless and fiddled with my furry Saiyajin tail. Didn't dare look up at Piccolo's scowling face.
Whenever I get in trouble, I sulk like a humiliated cat that fell off its perch. I'm a master of all forms of pouting, sulking and other pity-worthy behavior. Maybe if Piccolo noticed my misery, he'd cool down.
Au contraire.
Pouting never worked on my dad. It didn't work on Piccolo either.
"Stop sulking, you look pathetic."
I glowered at him.
He glared right back and bared his teeth. "Don't give me that look. The only way you'll satisfy me is to cooperate so we can get this training out of the way. Now wipe that sissy expression off your face...or I'll remove it with my fist. Don't you dare start crying either. You won't like what I'll do to you."
Another adrenalin burst dropped more weight into my belly. No other options but to comply...while giving him the silent treatment. I sullenly scooted forward until my knees touched his and held out my hands.
Piccolo ignored my silence. He roughly interlocked his fingers with mine. "Now sift through your memories and let one come forward. Focus on it."
We both closed our eyes and
drifted into the trance.
I stood, staring in awe at a person I barely recognized. She wore a sleeveless, powder-blue A-line gown that reached to the floor. It was made of chiffon with a small rhinestone-studded bow in front to mark the waistline. This girl also wore sparkling silver shoes and satin elbow-length gloves. Clip-on crystal earrings with a matching necklace added punch to the outfit. Her make-up was perfect and her hair...it was gorgeous too. Some piled on her head while the rest cascaded down her back in waves of brown.
That other person was me. My reflection. I couldn't believe my eyes! How could that be me?
"Mom..." A lump welled in my throat, "This is the night I've been waiting four years for, since I started high school...now it's here. I'm actually going to the Prom! I feel like Cinderella!" I wanted to twirl, but I didn't dare risk ruining my hair or the dress.
Mom stood back and admired me. Her blue eyes were misting over. Even she couldn't believe how much I'd transformed over the last few hours. "You look perfect! Stay here and I'll go see if Charles is ready yet."
"Okay."
My mom slipped through the bedroom door and pulled it shut behind her, leaving me in my own dreamy world. Charles...I met him in Junior High and we've been a couple ever since. People are always shocked when I tell them he's been my boyfriend for almost five years now. Of course, Charles can't drive yet, so it's not like we could just jump off to the movies or whatever. We mostly hung out in my room and played video games(he always won).
I also thought about how lucky I'd been to find this dress. A school friend of mine named Tawny and I were just fooling around at the mall while my mom finished her coffee in Carl's Jr.. I dragged Tawny with me into the dress shop to show her a dress my mom tried on me earlier...but it didn't fit. So we decided to mess around, trying on dresses just to see how they looked. I snatched up the powder-blue one, tried it on and went into shock.
I have such a cool mom. I screamed at Tawny to please hold onto my treasure and ran out of the store to go tell my mom about the dress. She marched back in there with me and bought it right there! The high price didn't bother her at all because she knew this was more important to me than anything in the world.
The door slipped open, interrupting my thoughts. It was my dad this time. He shut the door behind him and stared down at me. I saw tears in his eyes.
"Wow...you'll be the prettiest woman there!"
"Ah, daddy!" I playfully swatted his arm. "How does Charles look?"
"Well," he opened the door and ushered me out, "Go out in the living room and take a look for yourself."
Anticipation made the hallway seem miles long. Standing still so Mom could take a photo only made the wait more torturous.
There was only the rustling of my chiffon gown as I entered the living room. Late afternoon sunlight painted a gold swath across the end of the hall. It lit the room nicely. Charles stood with his back to me. I surveyed what I could - he wore a black zoot suit without pin stripes. His dark hair(streaked with blonde) was slicked back and shiny.
I stopped in the sunlight for maximum effect and suppressed a gasp, "Oh my God, is that Charles?!"
Charles faced me, blinked a few times and smiled, looking gorgeous in his formal attire. It complimented his football jock-type build very well. He was a handsome young man of Italian descent with tan skin, chocolate-colored eyes, "devilish" eyebrows and a mischievous smile.
"Hey, where'd Cyndi go?" Charles teased me.
"Oh, you!" I rushed over and gave him a tight hug. Charles hugged back a little shyly, probably afraid he'd spoil my carefully-styled hair.
Mom tapped my boyfriend's shoulder, "Charles, the corsage?"
Charles held up the delicate plastic box. It held a white rose surrounded by blue ribbon and baby's breath. "Oh yeah, it's right here." He opened the container, stepped forward and pinned it gently to my dress. "There you go."
"Thanks." I stared up at his face. "Any second now...the camera is gonna start flashing..."
As if to prove my point, I heard my mom say, "Smile!"
We faced the camera and grinned, our eyes shining. The flash seemed unusually bright. By the time my eyes readjusted, I wasn't standing in my living room anymore.
The forest surrounded me. Sunbeams filtered through the leaves. I peeked around a tree and tried to figure out where the hell I was. How weird I must have looked - all decked out in a prom dress in the middle of a forest! An Anime forest, no less. Lively violin music filtered through the air from my right. People clapped and laughed. Voices drifted through the trees. I turned towards the sound and peeked through the foliage.
I saw many people that seemed vaguely familiar. All in a group, watching two people. It clicked when I moved closer.
A flash of white, then another of black. Videl in a lacy white wedding gown that made her look angelic. And Gohan in an awesome black tuxedo that(surprisingly) didn't look dorky on him. He and Videl were dancing around to the music while the rest of the Z-gang cheered them on.
Well, almost all.
Piccolo stood all by himself under the flowered archway, completely separated from the rest of the group. Man, I wish I had a camera to capture his look, he was so dashing! He wore a dark stone-gray tux with a cutaway tailcoat, a white wing-collar shirt and slacks creased perfectly in the front. I stood there and stared at him while he scuffed his shiny shoes against the grass.
Seeing Piccolo look like THAT made me forget I was supposed to be mad at him.
"Hey." I slipped through the trees like I belonged there, "You look like your date ditched you."
The Namek's eyes glued themselves on me. He looked me up and down slowly, then quirked his mouth into a smirk. "I didn't ask to be part of this. But Gohan insisted I be the best man in his wedding and since it was important to him....ah well, I'm here. What are you doing?"
"I...don't know how I got here. Two minutes ago I was having my picture taken with my first boyfriend. As you can see, we were heading to the Prom." A smile tugged at my lips, what a stir it would've caused if I'd taken Piccolo to the Prom all those years ago.
The violin music slowed and grew more distant. I gazed up at Piccolo's face, "Let's dance."
Piccolo sweatdropped, "I...don't...dance!"
"Awwww come on...."
"No. Even if we did, you're too short and it'd be awkward."
"Hmph. My Prom date was taller than I by several inches and we danced just fine." As if on cue, I was back with Charles again, only this time we were at the actual Prom. It took place at Springfield Mansion(a place in California). The last song, Lady In Red by Chris DeBurgh, played softly in the background. Charles and I were on the outside balcony - the only couple out there. The stars shone above us. Nothing in the universe existed except for the two of us, the stars and the music. The night of May twenty-third, nineteen ninety-eight was the most romantic night of my teenage life.
The only difference was I saw Piccolo standing in a corner of the balcony, watching me sway gently with my first boyfriend. His attire made it seem like he belonged there. When the memory ended, Piccolo and I were back in the forest. He was once again standing next to a floral arch in the sunlight.
Piccolo remained stubborn as ever, "Still, it would be impossible. That boy was inches taller than you. We have a height difference of two feet."
"So?" I crossed my arms, shaking my head with a sigh. My hairspray-leaden hair rustled unnaturally. "Bah, humbug on you then."
Piccolo turned without another word and disappeared among the thick trees surrounding the clearing. How rude! He didn't even tell me he was leaving! Now I had to go chasing after him in an eighty-five dollar dress. That may not seem like much to some of you, but to my working-class family it took a huge chunk from our wallets.
And then, suddenly...I didn't have a dress on anymore. Just my normal sweats and T-shirt. My hair remained stiff, although this time it wasn't due to hairspray. Being in Anime form made me feel a LITTLE better. I just wished the damn tail would stop twitching.
I was standing in the middle of a decimated city with empty clothes littering the street around me. Weird, unidentifiable scents permeated the air. Everything was eerily silent. The pattering of an abandoned parasol created a deafening clamor as the wind rolled it across my path.
Of course...this must be Piccolo's first meeting with Cell!
If that wasn't weird enough...some of the clothes on the ground belonged to people I knew! My mom's distinctive teddy bear T-shirt, blue pants and cigarette case. My dad's empty Levis, his bifocals, white shirt and custom-made black leather boots. A few blue choir robes with clothes inside. Oh man!
Cold chills bit into my spine. I shuddered involuntarily and hugged myself. Uncomfortable weight pressed against the pit of my stomach from the inside. "Piccolo, if you're here somewhere...this is too creepy! I want out! Get me out of here!"
Nothing.
Then I felt an electric tingle prickle through my face. Lucky for me, I knew what it meant this time.
Gathering my energy, I blasted off like a rocket long before the explosion. I was so busy looking down at the rising smoke that I didn't notice the large and VERY BLACK object floating in my path.
Ka-SMACK!
I recoiled as if I'd smashed into a steel wall. My entire nose turned red and tears stung in my eyes. The impact sent vibrations through my skull, which probably sent my brain ricocheting around like a rubber ball in a fishbowl. Owwwww! Good thing brains don't feel actual pain!
"Ouch!" I grabbed the sore spots.
Void drifted closer, laughing at me. "Didn't Piccolo teach you to watch where you're going?"
A quick double axe-handle punch sent me smashing through three different buildings. Brick, cement and glass shattered around me with a deafening roar. Layers of dust settled on my clothes and in my hair, making me sneeze. Had I been in my Real form...well...let's just say I wouldn't be in one piece after a smack like that. Since I wasn't, I was able to get up.
And fell down again.
My second attempt at standing succeeded. I shook the glass and other broken crap off my hair and clothes. Focused on drawing the energy inside me to the surface. It made my muscles tighten and tingle. I just let it rise like bubbles in champagne and screamed to my heart's content. Just for the record...I don't scream like I'm constipated. I just...scream. Period. It's involuntary.
Last time Void caught me, I wasn't ready. I was this time. Oh I was sooooo ready!
The air around me crackled to life. Gravel, glass and cement lost touch with gravity. Everything within a ten-foot radius of me went flying into the air. I giggled madly as I watched random objects get flung away. So this is what a tornado feels like when it's blowing stuff up!
"Hey, Void! Come and get me you ugly piece of shit! I'm waiting!" I hopped from foot to foot, grinning maliciously. Void was a challenge. I lived to be challenged. The desire to fight reached an almost maddening peak. Think of a food you always crave...it doesn't go away until you eat what your body wants, right?
Void dropped down into the spiraling dust. "Gladly..."
Then she started gathering her power. Except while I made a few chunks of debris fly away....she blasted a new crater into the dirt.
No, you will not upstage my power!
Growling, I dug deep and pulled more energy forth. The ground distorted under my feet. I felt my hair blowing wildly behind me. With a tremendous scream I let my ki reach its pinnacle.
Void was on her ass when I came to my senses again. I'd blown her backwards!
Another figure came into focus behind her. A very handsome and green figure. He'd already shed his cape and turban. Two fingers were pressed to his forehead. His fingertips glowed a brilliant gold. Blue electric sparks buzzed around the gathering energy.
Piccolo touched a finger to his lips, telling me to be quiet. Void stood up without paying any mind to my brief lapse in eye-contact.
"Ooooh you're going to pay for that, little girl! Prepare to DIE!" She charged me full-on, leaving dust in her wake.
We locked hands and struggled for superiority. Just like wrestlers, only this wasn't for show. Void had a huge height advantage over me. She had no trouble forcing me to my knees. There was no way I'd be able to overpower her this way. All I could do was tolerate being shoved harder against the uneven dirt. If I stopped her she'd notice Piccolo...and if I knew him as much as I think I did, he wanted his attack to be a surprise.
Piccolo's power rose higher. I couldn't avoid grinning a little as Void pressed me harder against the shattered earth. Her hands started to crush mine. Gravel dug into my knees. The pain delighted me in a sick way. A small part of me trembled in fear...what if she killed me before Piccolo finished gathering his power?
Void and I continued our struggle. The ground bowed out below us, the distortion growing steadily larger. High winds flung more debris skyward. And I enjoyed every minute of it! Locked in battle with something capable of wiping me from existence...how utterly exhilarating!
"Mankankosappo!"
Before Void could react, I used her grip as leverage and slid down under her legs. Piccolo's awesome swirling fireball smashed into her back. It didn't quite penetrate. It did, however, send Void flying.
With me still attached.
"Cyndi! Let go!"
"I can't! She has me!"
BOOM!
Void and I landed in a jumbled heap with me on top. I wrenched free and flipped away. The black creature took a swing. I dodged easily.
Suddenly another hand grabbed my arm. I was yanked painfully backwards. Just in time to avoid a sparkling ki wall that incinerated everything surrounding Void within a five-foot radius.
"Ack! Piccolo, you're a lifesaver!" I wrapped my arms around Piccolo's narrow waist.
Piccolo touched my back, but didn't take his eyes off Void. He wore a frown that created V-shaped folds on the bridge of his teardrop-shaped nose. Sweat layered his exposed skin, some of which was scraped up. I guess Piccolo had a little scuffle with Void before I ran into her.
"That was close," the Namek muttered. "I was afraid I'd end up impaling both of you."
I laughed at him, "I'm not Goku."
"Shh! Get ready. I'm taking us out." He dropped his voice to a whisper, "She's still too much for us both. I tried to fight her a few minutes ago and she hammered me."
Only Piccolo could leave a conversation hanging with a comment like that. I stepped from his half-hug and faced Void again. She was on her feet again, looking quite peeved. Heh, I love pissing people off!
"I can take her."
The strong hand clamped down HARD on my shoulder, punctuated by a growl, "No, don't even THINK about it, Cyndi! We're leaving!"
"Fine!"
Piccolo lowered his head and made a small humming noise. After a few seconds, he disappeared.
But I didn't.
Don't ask me why, I don't know. I'd been focusing on waking up just as intently as he was. I might as well have been locked in a cage full of hungry tigers!
Void looked pretty pleased when she saw Piccolo vanish. "Just you and me now..."
"Yeah, that's just - "
She disappeared. Something harder than iron smashed into my back. I hit the uneven dirt hard. Dust stung in my eyes and tickled my nose. I groaned, pushing myself up. Void's huge foot pushed me right down again. She treated my head like a cigarette being smooshed out.
The worst thing is I couldn't gather up my energy. All sense of concentrating had left me. I needed a weapon or something to help me!
Piccolo's voice reached me from far off. Too garbled to be understood. I think he was yelling at me to focus. No...more than that. Something about feathers? Wait!
...m ....er.... ge... ...m... ....er...
Void's foot compressed my neck at an uncomfortable angle. I winced and shouted something obscene at her. She laughed at my weakness.
"Are you ready to die, little girl? Ready to look your God in the face and tell him you failed?"
Something faded into view just inches beyond my reach. A tiny round object with blue feathers - Piccolo's dream catcher! I squeezed my eyes shut and stretched an arm out. It rested tantalizingly close, yet so far. Pain wracked my bicep muscle. At the same time, I felt Void's metallic stinger press down just under my ribcage. If she impales me she's gonna go right through my kidney!
Come on! Damn my shortness! I screamed mentally. I stretched my arm until I thought every muscle would rupture. My fingertips brushed the soft feathers. Bingo!
A flick of my wrist flipped the dream catcher into my hand. I answered Void's 'question' with a smile, "Not as ready as you are to suck Satan's dick in Hell!" Then I pressed the dream catcher against her foot. It sizzled like meat on a grill. I could actually smell her skin burning! Worse than burnt hair. Nasty!
Void sprang off my back, screaming in pain and clutching her smoking right foot.
I got up and laughed my ass off. "What's the matter? Got a little hot-foot? There's ointment for that, you know. WAHAHA!"
"You!" She narrowed her eyes at me.
I held up the dream catcher. "Want some more of this?"
Void stopped hopping and eyed the woven object in my hand. She favored the burnt foot a little. Anger swirled in her cold mercury-silver eyes. She called forth a misty aura and rose into the air, "This isn't over!" With a blast of ki, Void shot over my head and disappeared in the distance.
She RAN!!!
I came to my senses in a daze. Dull aches and sharp pains surfaced where I'd been injured during the fight. Piccolo's hands detached from my narrow shoulders and let me go. I toppled backwards, exhausted. I'm weird like that - not feeling how tired I am until after the activity is over. I felt like I'd been running a marathon.
Piccolo bent down over me, smirking. If he was still angry about earlier, it didn't show. He gazed down at me with an amused light in his dark eyes. "You've definitely seen better days, kid."
Like he had any right to talk. His left cheek reminded me of a skinned knee and his arms were all scraped and cut. His gi was filthy, but surprisingly intact.
"Look who's talking," I shot back sleepily.
Piccolo glanced down at himself, shook his head and rolled his eyes. He hauled me into an upright position. Dust came off me in clouds. I swatted at my hair, adding more dust particles to the air. So much in fact that Piccolo sneezed and got the heck away from me.
I finished removing the dust from my hair and straightened up to my full five foot one inch height. "C'mon, Piccolo, let's clean up. You're a mess." I crashed into the bathroom and yanked open the medicine cabinet above the sink. "I know there's antiseptic in here somewhere...aha! Da-da-da-DUNNNNN!" I made the little arpeggio noise you hear in the Zelda games when Link opens a treasure chest and held an alcohol bottle up over my head.
That just made Piccolo shake his head. "Sometimes I wonder about you..."
"Don't even go there, green man." Pointing to the toilet, I waited for him to put the seat down and sit. "It's not like I can help my weirdness. Not any more than you can change how green you are. Now hold still. This might sting like a bitch." I poured some alcohol over a cotton ball and dabbed it on his discolored cheek.
You know that old movie cliché where a man won't show pain in a fight, but he'll wince when a woman cleans his wounds? Piccolo didn't do that. He gave no indication that he felt any pain at all - and alcohol in a wound is a nightmare! The only time he actually hissed was when I washed out the small cut on the tip of his pointed ear. Aww, poor Piccolo!
I started feeling really strange as I screwed the lid back onto the alcohol bottle. The salty scent of Piccolo's sweat invaded my nose. Two whiffs later I found myself excruciatingly aroused. I stepped back away from him, shuddering inwardly. My skin was so sensitive that I wanted to claw it off.
Piccolo pushed himself into a standing position and eyed me strangely. "What's your problem now?"
I raised a hand and rubbed the back of my neck. "I...I feel weird all of a sudden."
"Weird in what way? Are you ill?"
"I..." Energy crackled around me. I launched myself at Piccolo with such force that he fell backwards with me on top. With strength I didn't even know I had, I pinned him effectively below me. Piccolo gasped and tried to move...and couldn't.
"Cyndi...what are you...?"
New huskiness found its way into my voice, "Mm...be quiet and let me enjoy you..." I lowered my face to his and ran my tongue across his neck, tasting his sweaty Namekian flesh. I licked my way up behind his ear. Then I went down to his chest. The taste and different textures in his skin tantalized my tongue. He tasted exactly like green beans cooked in butter. Some areas were sweatier than others, and had a stronger tinge of salt. I lapped the moist areas clean. My mouth found its way back to Piccolo's neck, where I pulled and teased the taut skin with my teeth. The same was done to his ears and antennae. Finally I claimed his mouth in a fierce kiss. When my tongue wasn't teasing him, my hands were. No part of his gorgeous body escaped my touch. He was delicious...intoxicating...aromatic...
Piccolo's entire face turned purple. "Stop it!" He broke my hold on him and pushed me off. I tumbled backwards and landed spread-eagle near the toilet.
"But I want to..." I told him exactly what I desired. The words I used were so disgustingly vulgar that I won't repeat them. Almost a total repeat of what happened ages ago in the Room of Dreaming...only this time I wasn't 'stoned'. "Come on, I know you want a piece of me."
Poor Piccolo...he backed up until the wall stopped him. I sauntered forward towards him and grabbed the front of his shirt. The material was so battered that it ripped right open. Oh boy! More delicious Namekian flesh to devour! My mouth was on it in an instant. Piccolo's abs flexed as I teased them...they were eye-level to me, within perfect reach. I rubbed my face against them like an affectionate cat.
By then the Namek's eyes were like dinner plates. He grabbed me by the shoulders and pushed me an arm's length away. His hands stayed in place to hold me there. I panted hungrily and reached out, trying to rip the rest of his clothes off so I could taste the parts of him still hidden from my sight. I didn't care that he lacked...certain parts...I just wanted to taste every inch of him!
"Piccoloooooooo!" I whined.
Piccolo bared his teeth. "I know what your problem is. I heard Vegeta talking about it once. Something about a mating cycle. I think he called it 'heat'. Your behavior seems to fit his description."
I ran a hand through my messy hair, staring at him through heavily-lidded eyes. "Is that so? Hm, interesting...now do you want to be on top...or shall I? Or maybe you'd like it doggy-style...maybe a sixty-nine! Mm, yum."
"Stop it! We're not doing any of....what you just described!" Piccolo's eyes went from dinner plates to flying saucers. Ten huge sweatdrops surrounded his face. The poor guy was practically climbing up the wall to get away from my groping hands. "Now we're both going to YOUR side of the Time Chamber until your cycle is over and you start that bleeding thing! Now get going!"
"But you have my underwear dripping...want to smell them?"
More sweatdrops.
"NO! I DO NOT WANT TO SMELL YOUR UNDERWEAR! GET AWAY FROM ME!!!" With that, Piccolo scrambled up the wall and pushed off. He flew like a ruptured duck out of the bathroom.
And me, being in a very illogical state of mind, ran after him. I chased him right into the Real side of the room where my arousal, wild hair and tail disappeared. Even the "dripping" vanished from my underwear without a trace. I stumbled into the nearest bedpost. Fell face-down on the bed.
"Good God, what just happened to me? Is that what a cat in heat feels like?"
Piccolo materialized a new gi and sat down on the soft mattress. He seemed very relieved that I was back to my old self again. "I seriously don't see how the Saiyajin males survived such insanity."
"Heheh...that was pretty wild wasn't it? Too bad you weren't, you know, in this form. We probably could've gone all the way." I giggled shyly. "Man, I'm sooooooo tired all of a sudden. I think I'm gonna turn in. Keep watch?"
He nodded without a word and assumed the lotus position on the mattress. I reached into my backpack for all my bedtime medicines, hugged my stuffed Wile E. Coyote close and climbed between the sheets. Gave Piccolo a quick peck on the cheek and settled down to sleep.
It didn't help that I dreamed of riding Piccolo so good that his eyes rolled back and he couldn't close his mouth. The dream was so real that I heard his moans grow louder and louder. Deep, hungry sounds of intense unmasked pleasure. I caressed the special spot behind his ears...and he roared. He was in such a state that his face, chest and other extremities were flushed purple. I felt his whole body go rigid beneath me.
Next thing I knew, I was back in bed with Piccolo shaking my shoulder. I looked up sleepily to see his face lined with concern. He was frowning deeply, his forehead wrinkled.
"Was Void attacking you?"
I groaned and pulled a pillow over my face. My lovely X-rated dream was interrupted for THIS?! "Ugh, nooooo! I was dreaming about you, actually!"
Piccolo tightened his curvy lips. "Oh."
Shrugging, I curled up on my side and rubbed his muscular leg. "But thanks for checking on me anyway."
The Namek didn't answer me, typical of him. He just pulled the blankets back up around me and patted my shoulder through them. Then he straightened again and resumed whatever meditation he was engaged in. He looked so overly serious with his brow knit and lips tightened. I just smiled and watched him for a moment. Imagining how he looked in my dream, all flushed, sweaty and trembling. Maybe someday I'll get to see him in that state for real.
I sat up and wrapped my arms around his neck.
"Wha...?"
"Nothing, you just look like you needed a hug." I rubbed my cheek against his smooth un-injured one and settled back into bed.
I was almost asleep when I heard Piccolo mutter, "You females are a strange species."
"I heard that."
"Go to sleep!"