Disclaimer: Believe what you want, I still don't own it and don't have
nearly enough money to buy it. I do own, however, my OC's, Namaro, Lady
Siortine and any other people made up in my head.
A/N: Hi peoples. In this chapter there are more characters added into the plot. It's not just me and Piccy anymore, sadly enough. But hey, it needs it. WARNING: Just a little Yamcha bashing. Nothing major, but it might offend some Yamcha fans. Don't know why. Piccolo gets bashed plenty, you don't see us Piccolo fans going crazy over it do you? .......OK, that's not completely true, but don't flame me for it. Cause I won't care no matter how much you swear at me.
{}= telepathy
On to the chapter....
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It had been roughly two months since Colleen and Piccolo had first crossed paths. They trained everyday, and everyday Colleen fell more and more in love with the tall, handsome teenage warrior. She'd grown more powerful and faster with each blow Piccolo landed to her. He had finally convinced her to cut her hair, from being down to the middle of her back to just below her shoulders. Colleen still had the rip in her gi pants, and a scar on her left thigh from the burn. She didn't mind though. When she went home, if she went home, she would have it to remind her of the time she and Piccolo shared.
Now Colleen was walking through the densely wooded forest surrounding the clearing she and Piccolo had set up camp, heading for the small stream she had found searching for food a few weeks ago. She passed a huge fallen, rotting tree log; a sign she was close. When she first found it, she had been scared silly by a snake that nipped at her heal hidden inside the log.
She came up to a beautiful little stream, filled with small pebbles and a fish here and there. She knelt down in front of the water on its banks and dipped her hands in the clear liquid and splashed it on her face. It was cold and refreshing, just what she needed after a hot day of training. 'But the day is only half done.' She told herself. She let out a sigh and splashed more water on her face washing the crimson blood from her mouth. Piccolo had socked her pretty good when she wasn't looking. She'd get him for that later.
She took her now shorter, but still not short, hair out of the cloth she stole from Piccolo's cape and let if fall. She combed her finger though her hair, feeling the dirt there.
"What I wouldn't give for some shampoo and conditioner." She hadn't really washed her hair in a while. Piccolo had shone her some plants that could clean her off, but it didn't stand up to PantinePro-V.
Piccolo was meditating near the cave in the clearing, alone. He looked totally peaceful and calm, but inside he was far from it. He had been feeling a dark presence for a while now. Normally he wouldn't be bothered, but this presence was different; off somehow. He knew dark power, and this was not *just* dark power. There was something he couldn't quite put his finger on. He hadn't told Colleen because he didn't want to worry her. She had enough to deal with, with training and thinking about going home.
He sighed. He didn't really want her to go home. She was the first, and probably only person he had become friends with. He'd done what he thought he could never do; become attached. And to a human female. He would never admit it, but he liked having her around to train, and talk, and have.....fun.
He huffed. 'Stupid emotions. Useless.'
Colleen was bent over the water, head in the water, washing her hair. She scrubbed the somewhat soapy concoction she made from plants in her hair. When the 'shampoo' was completely washed from her brown wet locks she flung her head up, spraying water behind her. She shook her head from side to side, getting small beads of water on the leaves of plants and petals of flowers near her. She pulled her hair up and tried to get it into a pony- tail.
"A brush wouldn't hurt either." She said.
She got her hair to stay in one place when a massive shock-wave knocked her over into the water on her back. Most of the leaves of the trees surrounding her were blown off.
"What the hell was that?" she wondered. She got up out of the creek, now soaked, and headed toward the camp, the origin of the energy surge. She powered up slightly and was completely dry in a millisecond. She walked into the clearing to see Piccolo fighting two blurs.
'The wave of energy must've been Piccolo.' She thought.
One of the blurs got knocked out of the fight and came crashing down to earth with a five foot crater left from the landing. Colleen walked over to the hole and peered in.
"Yamcha?" The long-haired young man looked up at the 13-year-old and started to get up, getting an interesting gleam in his eye.
"You shouldn't be here, sweatie. That big green monster might hurt you. Why don't you let me carry you in my big strong arms?" He started to advance forward in her direction. Colleen got what he meant and immediately held her hand in front of herself two inches from Yamcha's chest.
"You touch, you get concussion. Kapeesh?" she stated flatly.
"But babe, you're just a little girl, I don't want a pretty little thing like you to get all hurt. I would hate it if that body of yours were to be bruised." He licked his lips.
'Eww, he's hitting on me!' Colleen thought. 'Aren't he and Bulma still going out?' "Please, I'm more than capable of taking care of myself." She said. She walked closer to the fight between Piccolo and what could only be Goku. She went right next to them; her on the ground, them in the air.
"Piccolo, Goku, stop it now!" she yelled. No response from either but them punching each other in the face at the same time. After shaking it off, they went at it again, kicking and punching.
"Piccolo, Goku, STOP!" Still nothing. Piccolo kneed Goku in the stomach and lifted his hands together in one fist and brought it down on Goku's back, sending him to the ground. But before he hit, he stopped himself and lunged at Piccolo again, kicking him in the head.
'This is getting aggravating.' She thought. She lifted into the air, arms crossed, feet together between them when they knocked each other apart.
"Guys stop!!" They charged at each other again as if she weren't even there. She unfolded her arms and pointed one at each man.
"I said STOP!!!" She fired a ki beam at both Piccolo and Goku, sending them both flying into trees backwards. When they got up and into the air again they were staring at her. One with shock and anger, one with just shock.
"Thank you." She stated simply. "Now you boys want to tell me what brought this battle about?"
"Colleen! Get out of here! You're interrupting us!" Piccolo yelled. He looked at her sternly. He was just about to kill Goku and she stopped him!
"Um, miss," Goku started. "I don't think you know who this guy is. He's Piccolo, you know the evil guy. I'm a good guy. I'm here to beat him. I think it'd be safer for you to leave and let me finish my fight with him."
'Sweet, naïve Goku.' Colleen thought. "I can't let you hurt him." She said to Goku. She turned to Piccolo. "And I can't let you hurt him, either." She said pointing to a confused looking Goku.
"Colleen, this is Goku! The man I told you I was fighting in the Tournament!"
"Funny, I don't see a ring, referee, or crowd. It doesn't look like the Word Martial Arts Tournament to me."
Her sarcasm was none to amusing to Piccolo. "Go...now!"
She stuck out her tongue. "Make me!"
Goku and Yamcha looked at her like she was stark-raving mad. "Uh, miss, Colleen was it? I don't think you should talk to Piccolo like that." Goku said.
"Oh, why ever not. What's he going to do about it?" she asked more to Piccolo than Goku.
'This girl's nuttier than Master Roshi!' Yamcha thought.
"Well, because he's powerful and he could probably rip you in two." Goku said matter-of-factly.
"I'd listen to him if I were you." Piccolo warned. She was getting on his last nerve, Goku already seeming to be doing jumping-jacks on all the others.
"Dear, dear Piccy-chan," she started.
'PICCY-CHAN???!!!' both Yamcha and Goku screamed in their heads.
"It isn't the tournament yet, so cool your jets." Colleen finished.
She faced Yamcha and Goku. "You two, too. Now what started this?"
"We saw Piccolo and started fighting with him." Goku stated.
"He was meditating so we thought we could surprise him." Yamcha said.
"That's it? He wasn't doing *anything*?" Colleen asked.
"Um, nope." Goku answered.
"How do you know Piccolo, anyhow?" Yamcha questioned.
"I'm training her." Piccolo said flatly. He folded his arms and flew behind her, now knowing they would probably want to fight her too.
"So that means you're evil." Goku said, his face turning from the innocent face to the fighting face.
"No. Why does training with Piccolo make me evil?" She knew the answer, but had to ask any ways.
"How can we believe you?" Yamcha asked harshly.
She looked at Goku and automatically knew exactly how to convince him.
"Point me near a kitchen and I can cook anything for you guys." This had to work.
Piccolo looked at her and quirked an eyeridge. Did she really think that'd work? Not even Goku would believe that.
Goku flew up to her, game face still on. Piccolo tensed getting ready to protect her if need be. Goku looked at her and turned to Yamcha. He said very, very seriously, "She can cook, we can trust her."
'Well I'll be damned.' Piccolo thought.
Yamcha sweat-dropped. If Goku said she was all right, she should be. He knew Goku believed her not just because of food. Right?
It took all Colleen had not to burst out laughing. She knew it'd work. The only way to get Goku to believe her so fast was to mention anything about food. 'I am a genius.' She thought to herself.
"Hey, so uh, could you cook for us now?" Goku asked with his hand behind his head, famous Son grin set into full play.
"*chuckle* Sure. Lead the way."
"I'm coming as well." Piccolo said. He didn't want her alone with Goku. He knew he wouldn't hurt her, he just didn't like the idea of her being with him alone.
"Then I'm watching you." Yamcha came up behind Piccolo. Piccolo turned around and got right up into Yamcha's face, with a snarl on his own. Yamcha gulped.
"BOO!" Piccolo shouted. Yamcha screamed like a little girl, more than any girl could, and nearly fell out of the sky. Piccolo chuckled. How he loved scaring the crap out of people.
Piccolo, Colleen, Goku, and a skittish Yamcha flew to the closest kitchen Goku knew of; ChiChi's. They all flew in silence, Goku passing glances back at Piccolo every so often.
{He doesn't trust me.} Colleen was very surprised to hear Piccolo's voice in her head, but soon caught on he didn't want to talk so Goku and Yamcha could hear.
{He doesn't know you like I know you.}
{But I'm still evil. I don't know why I agreed to this.}
{You are not evil.} Piccolo looked over to Colleen who had a stern look on her face.
{Why do you keep saying that? It's as if you actually believe it.}
{I do believe it. You aren't evil, just....lost. Anyone who can make friends can't be all bad.} Colleen smiled.
{Hn.}
"We're here!" Goku announced. They group flew down in front of the small castle that Princess ChiChi and the Ox King lived in. They landed on the front lawn and Goku went up to the door and knocked.
"Coming!" came a female voice from beyond the door. A young girl with long, braided raven black hair opened the door. She was wearing a purple dress down to mid-thigh with small slits on either side, and embroidered in green beads to make a dragon slither up her dress. She was wearing black knee-high boots that laced at the top, and purple wrist guards of cloth.
"Hi ChiChi! I came over to get one of my friends to cook for me. Is that all right? This was the closest kitchen I could think of." Goku said sweetly.
"Of course, Goku. Who's your friend?" She looked behind Goku's shoulder to see Yamcha, a brown-haired blue-eyed girl in a red gi, and Piccolo.
"PICCOLO????!!!!!! AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!" She pointed at the tall green man and promptly fainted, still pointing. Piccolo sighed. He was expecting that. He'd met ChiChi before. He heard a noise and looked to his right. Colleen was giggling and snickering trying so hard not to laugh at Goku trying to revive ChiChi on the ground. She started to stir and Goku got her to sit up.
"Oh, Goku, I had a horrible dream." She looked up to see her dream wasn't a dream at all. "AAAHHH!!!"
"Now, Chi, don't be afraid.." Goku tried to calm her.
"THAT....THAT.....*THING* IS _NOT_ COMING IN MY HOUSE!!!!!!!!" She screamed. Piccolo was clutching his ears and was slightly hunched over from the pain of her screeching. When Goku got her to stop, his, and everyone else's ears were ringing. ChiChi finally agreed to let him and Colleen come in, only because Colleen promised to keep him away from her and the kid she was baby-sitting. She was watching her little cousin, Namaro. He was a cute little guy with black hair and was wrapped in a dark blue footie-pajama type outfit and a dark blue baby hat on his head.
"The kitchen is this way." ChiChi lead them down a hall to an enormous kitchen with every appliance anyone would ever need, a huge fridge and stove, and two large pantries.
Colleen got to work on all the foods she knew how to cook. Chili, spaghetti, pirogue, lasagna, macaroni and cheese, fried chicken, all kinds of soup, ribs, steak, fish, fried shrimp, mashed potatoes, gravy, cheese potatoes, omelets, bacon, toast, bread, muffins, pies, fried rice, stir fry, and everything underneath the sun, or all Goku could eat by himself. The little Namaro just looked on half interested, really looking at the big green guy with pointed ears.
Goku and Yamcha's mouths started to water with all of the delicious smells. The smells got to the baby too, and he realized he was hungry. His face started to scrunch and his eyes began to water. Piccolo was the first to notice this he was about to say something when......
"WHAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!" The screaming could be heard from Mars. Piccolo grabbed his ears and fell on the floor seeing spots. Colleen rushed to his side and tried to help him up. ChiChi went to Namaro and picked him up, but he still didn't stop crying.
"Oh, his bottle is in the grand living room, and I can't leave the stove. Goku will you take him and feed him?" ChiChi asked.
"What?? Hello?? I can't hear!!"
"Yamcha?" ChiChi asked annoyed.
"No sound is coming out of your mouth!" Yamcha yelled and pointed to ChiChi.
"Grrrr, Colleen?"
"Yea, sure. Can Pic come too, I don't think I should leave him alone with Goku."
ChiChi glared at her. "And what of our agreement?"
"He won't hold Namaro. Do you want those two muscle heads in the same room alone?" Colleen questioned looking at Piccolo then Goku.
ChiChi thought about it. "Good point. Ok. But freak-boy goes no where near the baby!!" She handed Namaro to Colleen and she, the baby, and a temporarily deaf Piccolo went to the bottle in the living room.
When they got there Colleen gave the little bag of lungs his bottle and Piccolo sat on the couch, rubbing his ears.
"For something so small, it sure makes a lot of sound." He said.
"Yep. Babies are loud. But they're cute."
"Sure they are." Piccolo answered sarcastically.
Colleen sat on the couch with the baby next to Piccolo. He sucked hungrily on the bottle and made gulping and breathing noises. When he was done, Colleen lifted him so his head rested on her shoulder and she burped him. She set Namaro on her lap and he started to coo and laugh when she made funny faces.
"You're good with kids." Piccolo stated.
"I've had lot's of practice with my little brother and sister and cousins. I'm the oldest in my family. Well, I have a cousin who's like two moths older, but aside from her, I'm oldest." She was bouncing him on her knee.
Colleen's next question took Piccolo by surprise. "You ever thought about having kids?"
"Haha, no. Picture me with a little kid. Not a good combination. And children get in the way."
"Yea, sometimes. But that's what life's all about. Growing up, finding love, getting married, and having a family. You've never thought of that? Ever?"
"Love is not something I would know, or probably allowed to know. I can't have it, so I don't think about it." Piccolo stared at the wall in front of him, not wanting to look Colleen in the eye.
"Everyone is allowed to experience love. Even people who are bad can love, which you are not. I think you'd make a great dad." Colleen said smiling. He did seem like a great father figure.
"Sure I would."
"You wanna hold him?" Piccolo looked down at Colleen and Namaro. The little wind bag was kinda cute, he guessed.
"....Ok." He hesitated. Colleen handed Namaro to Piccolo. Piccolo picked him up with his big green hands uncertainly. He held the little boy out by his under arms, and his shoulders were up to his ears.
"You have to hold him like this." Colleen said. She put one of Piccolo's hands around the bottom of his little tushie, and the other behind his head. She eased Piccolo's hands to his chest to cradle Namaro. Piccolo looked down at the little life in his hands, and Namaro looked up at the green face, and hanging antennae. His chubby little fingers went up to flick and play with Piccolo's antennae, giggling. This was weird to Piccolo, but not really a bad weird.
"He likes you." Colleen said. She looked at the sight before her and smiled. 'Where's a camera when you need one?' Piccolo looked so sweet, he was smiling and let Namaro play with his finger. Namaro gurgled and started to pull on his nose.
"Colleen?" came ChiChi's voice from down the hall.
"Uh-oh. You better hand him back. ChiChi will have a conniption fit if she sees you holding him. Come here big guy." Colleen took Namaro from Piccolo's hands as ChiChi walked into the room. She took Namaro from Colleen, huffed at Piccolo, and left the room. Goku and Yamcha came in soon after she left.
"Man, that was great!" Goku beamed patting his stomach. He has some sauce and who knows what else on his shirt.
"Yea, where'd you learn to cook like that? My girlfriend should hire you as a cook. She owns Capsule Corp. you know." Yamcha said.
"Colleen is not a servant. She's my student and we're going. Come on." Piccolo got off the couch and headed for the door. Colleen waved and followed Piccolo out the door and they both took off into the sky.
The flight back to the camp was a quiet one. A comfortable silence between them stayed until they touched down in the clearing. Once there they commenced to spar until an hour or so after sunset. They stopped for the night and just sat by the campfire opposite from each other, staring at the flames. Piccolo looked over to Colleen. The light from the fire was dancing on her face and in her blue eyes. It was then he felt a funny warm feeling spread over him. She looked different. Well, not really different, she looked the same. But she looked......... 'Pretty.' He thought.
'Then again, I don't really know what exactly 'pretty' is. But, she is.' He kept staring at her trying to figure out this new feeling.
Colleen felt eyes on her and looked up to see Piccolo staring at her. "What?" she asked raising an eyebrow.
"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just......never mind." He answered.
"Ok." They both looked down at the fire again. Colleen glanced up and noticed the shadows from the fire light on Piccolo's face.
'Why does he have to be so darn hot?' she thought to herself. She got up and walked to her make-shift bed which was only Piccolo's cape. He didn't wear it much now that they trained nearly 24/7.
Piccolo got up as well and walked over to his spot by Colleen, just a tree trunk to lean on. He mostly slept sitting up in his lotus position.
"Night, Pic." Colleen yawned.
"Good night." Piccolo took one last look at her face, her eyes closed, and closed his eyes and fell asleep.
A dark figure in the trees turned around and leapt through the forest from the clearing Piccolo and Colleen were in. It dashed through the wood like a deer, but faster. When the figure came to a disfigured tree, it pressed a notch in the trunk and a black portal opened. It stepped inside to be transported to a dark room full of dimly lit candles. At the end of the room was a large black throne where a woman with fire-red hair and a long silk, black, sleeveless dress was seated. Her eyes were cold and gray with no pupils, her skin pale, and four small purple horns jutted from the top of each eye above her red eyebrows. She had fangs and blood red lips. On her neck she wore a ruby pendant in the shape of a crescent moon held by a short golden chain.
"Did you find them?" she asked.
"Yes Lady Siortine (1). I have spies watching the girl and demon day and night." The figure responded in a double-sounded voice, both high and low tones.
"Excellent." The devious beauty smirked showing a fang, rose a hand and waved it across the air. A foggy picture appeared. In the image was Colleen and Piccolo sleeping near the fire.
"Soon." Lady Siortine said evilly. "Soon."
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(1)= Siortine is Gaelic for "Eternal fire." Pronounced 'She-ur-chin-na'.
Oooh, I'm adding more plot! Do you like? Again, sorry for the slight Yamcha bashing, I tried to make it as subtle as possible. I just don't like the guy. I hope I got Goku, ChiChi, and Yamcha's characters right. Tell me if I didn't.
REVIEW PLEASE!!!!!!
Keep going......
THERE!
A/N: Hi peoples. In this chapter there are more characters added into the plot. It's not just me and Piccy anymore, sadly enough. But hey, it needs it. WARNING: Just a little Yamcha bashing. Nothing major, but it might offend some Yamcha fans. Don't know why. Piccolo gets bashed plenty, you don't see us Piccolo fans going crazy over it do you? .......OK, that's not completely true, but don't flame me for it. Cause I won't care no matter how much you swear at me.
{}= telepathy
On to the chapter....
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It had been roughly two months since Colleen and Piccolo had first crossed paths. They trained everyday, and everyday Colleen fell more and more in love with the tall, handsome teenage warrior. She'd grown more powerful and faster with each blow Piccolo landed to her. He had finally convinced her to cut her hair, from being down to the middle of her back to just below her shoulders. Colleen still had the rip in her gi pants, and a scar on her left thigh from the burn. She didn't mind though. When she went home, if she went home, she would have it to remind her of the time she and Piccolo shared.
Now Colleen was walking through the densely wooded forest surrounding the clearing she and Piccolo had set up camp, heading for the small stream she had found searching for food a few weeks ago. She passed a huge fallen, rotting tree log; a sign she was close. When she first found it, she had been scared silly by a snake that nipped at her heal hidden inside the log.
She came up to a beautiful little stream, filled with small pebbles and a fish here and there. She knelt down in front of the water on its banks and dipped her hands in the clear liquid and splashed it on her face. It was cold and refreshing, just what she needed after a hot day of training. 'But the day is only half done.' She told herself. She let out a sigh and splashed more water on her face washing the crimson blood from her mouth. Piccolo had socked her pretty good when she wasn't looking. She'd get him for that later.
She took her now shorter, but still not short, hair out of the cloth she stole from Piccolo's cape and let if fall. She combed her finger though her hair, feeling the dirt there.
"What I wouldn't give for some shampoo and conditioner." She hadn't really washed her hair in a while. Piccolo had shone her some plants that could clean her off, but it didn't stand up to PantinePro-V.
Piccolo was meditating near the cave in the clearing, alone. He looked totally peaceful and calm, but inside he was far from it. He had been feeling a dark presence for a while now. Normally he wouldn't be bothered, but this presence was different; off somehow. He knew dark power, and this was not *just* dark power. There was something he couldn't quite put his finger on. He hadn't told Colleen because he didn't want to worry her. She had enough to deal with, with training and thinking about going home.
He sighed. He didn't really want her to go home. She was the first, and probably only person he had become friends with. He'd done what he thought he could never do; become attached. And to a human female. He would never admit it, but he liked having her around to train, and talk, and have.....fun.
He huffed. 'Stupid emotions. Useless.'
Colleen was bent over the water, head in the water, washing her hair. She scrubbed the somewhat soapy concoction she made from plants in her hair. When the 'shampoo' was completely washed from her brown wet locks she flung her head up, spraying water behind her. She shook her head from side to side, getting small beads of water on the leaves of plants and petals of flowers near her. She pulled her hair up and tried to get it into a pony- tail.
"A brush wouldn't hurt either." She said.
She got her hair to stay in one place when a massive shock-wave knocked her over into the water on her back. Most of the leaves of the trees surrounding her were blown off.
"What the hell was that?" she wondered. She got up out of the creek, now soaked, and headed toward the camp, the origin of the energy surge. She powered up slightly and was completely dry in a millisecond. She walked into the clearing to see Piccolo fighting two blurs.
'The wave of energy must've been Piccolo.' She thought.
One of the blurs got knocked out of the fight and came crashing down to earth with a five foot crater left from the landing. Colleen walked over to the hole and peered in.
"Yamcha?" The long-haired young man looked up at the 13-year-old and started to get up, getting an interesting gleam in his eye.
"You shouldn't be here, sweatie. That big green monster might hurt you. Why don't you let me carry you in my big strong arms?" He started to advance forward in her direction. Colleen got what he meant and immediately held her hand in front of herself two inches from Yamcha's chest.
"You touch, you get concussion. Kapeesh?" she stated flatly.
"But babe, you're just a little girl, I don't want a pretty little thing like you to get all hurt. I would hate it if that body of yours were to be bruised." He licked his lips.
'Eww, he's hitting on me!' Colleen thought. 'Aren't he and Bulma still going out?' "Please, I'm more than capable of taking care of myself." She said. She walked closer to the fight between Piccolo and what could only be Goku. She went right next to them; her on the ground, them in the air.
"Piccolo, Goku, stop it now!" she yelled. No response from either but them punching each other in the face at the same time. After shaking it off, they went at it again, kicking and punching.
"Piccolo, Goku, STOP!" Still nothing. Piccolo kneed Goku in the stomach and lifted his hands together in one fist and brought it down on Goku's back, sending him to the ground. But before he hit, he stopped himself and lunged at Piccolo again, kicking him in the head.
'This is getting aggravating.' She thought. She lifted into the air, arms crossed, feet together between them when they knocked each other apart.
"Guys stop!!" They charged at each other again as if she weren't even there. She unfolded her arms and pointed one at each man.
"I said STOP!!!" She fired a ki beam at both Piccolo and Goku, sending them both flying into trees backwards. When they got up and into the air again they were staring at her. One with shock and anger, one with just shock.
"Thank you." She stated simply. "Now you boys want to tell me what brought this battle about?"
"Colleen! Get out of here! You're interrupting us!" Piccolo yelled. He looked at her sternly. He was just about to kill Goku and she stopped him!
"Um, miss," Goku started. "I don't think you know who this guy is. He's Piccolo, you know the evil guy. I'm a good guy. I'm here to beat him. I think it'd be safer for you to leave and let me finish my fight with him."
'Sweet, naïve Goku.' Colleen thought. "I can't let you hurt him." She said to Goku. She turned to Piccolo. "And I can't let you hurt him, either." She said pointing to a confused looking Goku.
"Colleen, this is Goku! The man I told you I was fighting in the Tournament!"
"Funny, I don't see a ring, referee, or crowd. It doesn't look like the Word Martial Arts Tournament to me."
Her sarcasm was none to amusing to Piccolo. "Go...now!"
She stuck out her tongue. "Make me!"
Goku and Yamcha looked at her like she was stark-raving mad. "Uh, miss, Colleen was it? I don't think you should talk to Piccolo like that." Goku said.
"Oh, why ever not. What's he going to do about it?" she asked more to Piccolo than Goku.
'This girl's nuttier than Master Roshi!' Yamcha thought.
"Well, because he's powerful and he could probably rip you in two." Goku said matter-of-factly.
"I'd listen to him if I were you." Piccolo warned. She was getting on his last nerve, Goku already seeming to be doing jumping-jacks on all the others.
"Dear, dear Piccy-chan," she started.
'PICCY-CHAN???!!!' both Yamcha and Goku screamed in their heads.
"It isn't the tournament yet, so cool your jets." Colleen finished.
She faced Yamcha and Goku. "You two, too. Now what started this?"
"We saw Piccolo and started fighting with him." Goku stated.
"He was meditating so we thought we could surprise him." Yamcha said.
"That's it? He wasn't doing *anything*?" Colleen asked.
"Um, nope." Goku answered.
"How do you know Piccolo, anyhow?" Yamcha questioned.
"I'm training her." Piccolo said flatly. He folded his arms and flew behind her, now knowing they would probably want to fight her too.
"So that means you're evil." Goku said, his face turning from the innocent face to the fighting face.
"No. Why does training with Piccolo make me evil?" She knew the answer, but had to ask any ways.
"How can we believe you?" Yamcha asked harshly.
She looked at Goku and automatically knew exactly how to convince him.
"Point me near a kitchen and I can cook anything for you guys." This had to work.
Piccolo looked at her and quirked an eyeridge. Did she really think that'd work? Not even Goku would believe that.
Goku flew up to her, game face still on. Piccolo tensed getting ready to protect her if need be. Goku looked at her and turned to Yamcha. He said very, very seriously, "She can cook, we can trust her."
'Well I'll be damned.' Piccolo thought.
Yamcha sweat-dropped. If Goku said she was all right, she should be. He knew Goku believed her not just because of food. Right?
It took all Colleen had not to burst out laughing. She knew it'd work. The only way to get Goku to believe her so fast was to mention anything about food. 'I am a genius.' She thought to herself.
"Hey, so uh, could you cook for us now?" Goku asked with his hand behind his head, famous Son grin set into full play.
"*chuckle* Sure. Lead the way."
"I'm coming as well." Piccolo said. He didn't want her alone with Goku. He knew he wouldn't hurt her, he just didn't like the idea of her being with him alone.
"Then I'm watching you." Yamcha came up behind Piccolo. Piccolo turned around and got right up into Yamcha's face, with a snarl on his own. Yamcha gulped.
"BOO!" Piccolo shouted. Yamcha screamed like a little girl, more than any girl could, and nearly fell out of the sky. Piccolo chuckled. How he loved scaring the crap out of people.
Piccolo, Colleen, Goku, and a skittish Yamcha flew to the closest kitchen Goku knew of; ChiChi's. They all flew in silence, Goku passing glances back at Piccolo every so often.
{He doesn't trust me.} Colleen was very surprised to hear Piccolo's voice in her head, but soon caught on he didn't want to talk so Goku and Yamcha could hear.
{He doesn't know you like I know you.}
{But I'm still evil. I don't know why I agreed to this.}
{You are not evil.} Piccolo looked over to Colleen who had a stern look on her face.
{Why do you keep saying that? It's as if you actually believe it.}
{I do believe it. You aren't evil, just....lost. Anyone who can make friends can't be all bad.} Colleen smiled.
{Hn.}
"We're here!" Goku announced. They group flew down in front of the small castle that Princess ChiChi and the Ox King lived in. They landed on the front lawn and Goku went up to the door and knocked.
"Coming!" came a female voice from beyond the door. A young girl with long, braided raven black hair opened the door. She was wearing a purple dress down to mid-thigh with small slits on either side, and embroidered in green beads to make a dragon slither up her dress. She was wearing black knee-high boots that laced at the top, and purple wrist guards of cloth.
"Hi ChiChi! I came over to get one of my friends to cook for me. Is that all right? This was the closest kitchen I could think of." Goku said sweetly.
"Of course, Goku. Who's your friend?" She looked behind Goku's shoulder to see Yamcha, a brown-haired blue-eyed girl in a red gi, and Piccolo.
"PICCOLO????!!!!!! AAAAAHHHHH!!!!!" She pointed at the tall green man and promptly fainted, still pointing. Piccolo sighed. He was expecting that. He'd met ChiChi before. He heard a noise and looked to his right. Colleen was giggling and snickering trying so hard not to laugh at Goku trying to revive ChiChi on the ground. She started to stir and Goku got her to sit up.
"Oh, Goku, I had a horrible dream." She looked up to see her dream wasn't a dream at all. "AAAHHH!!!"
"Now, Chi, don't be afraid.." Goku tried to calm her.
"THAT....THAT.....*THING* IS _NOT_ COMING IN MY HOUSE!!!!!!!!" She screamed. Piccolo was clutching his ears and was slightly hunched over from the pain of her screeching. When Goku got her to stop, his, and everyone else's ears were ringing. ChiChi finally agreed to let him and Colleen come in, only because Colleen promised to keep him away from her and the kid she was baby-sitting. She was watching her little cousin, Namaro. He was a cute little guy with black hair and was wrapped in a dark blue footie-pajama type outfit and a dark blue baby hat on his head.
"The kitchen is this way." ChiChi lead them down a hall to an enormous kitchen with every appliance anyone would ever need, a huge fridge and stove, and two large pantries.
Colleen got to work on all the foods she knew how to cook. Chili, spaghetti, pirogue, lasagna, macaroni and cheese, fried chicken, all kinds of soup, ribs, steak, fish, fried shrimp, mashed potatoes, gravy, cheese potatoes, omelets, bacon, toast, bread, muffins, pies, fried rice, stir fry, and everything underneath the sun, or all Goku could eat by himself. The little Namaro just looked on half interested, really looking at the big green guy with pointed ears.
Goku and Yamcha's mouths started to water with all of the delicious smells. The smells got to the baby too, and he realized he was hungry. His face started to scrunch and his eyes began to water. Piccolo was the first to notice this he was about to say something when......
"WHAAAAAAAAAA!!!!!!" The screaming could be heard from Mars. Piccolo grabbed his ears and fell on the floor seeing spots. Colleen rushed to his side and tried to help him up. ChiChi went to Namaro and picked him up, but he still didn't stop crying.
"Oh, his bottle is in the grand living room, and I can't leave the stove. Goku will you take him and feed him?" ChiChi asked.
"What?? Hello?? I can't hear!!"
"Yamcha?" ChiChi asked annoyed.
"No sound is coming out of your mouth!" Yamcha yelled and pointed to ChiChi.
"Grrrr, Colleen?"
"Yea, sure. Can Pic come too, I don't think I should leave him alone with Goku."
ChiChi glared at her. "And what of our agreement?"
"He won't hold Namaro. Do you want those two muscle heads in the same room alone?" Colleen questioned looking at Piccolo then Goku.
ChiChi thought about it. "Good point. Ok. But freak-boy goes no where near the baby!!" She handed Namaro to Colleen and she, the baby, and a temporarily deaf Piccolo went to the bottle in the living room.
When they got there Colleen gave the little bag of lungs his bottle and Piccolo sat on the couch, rubbing his ears.
"For something so small, it sure makes a lot of sound." He said.
"Yep. Babies are loud. But they're cute."
"Sure they are." Piccolo answered sarcastically.
Colleen sat on the couch with the baby next to Piccolo. He sucked hungrily on the bottle and made gulping and breathing noises. When he was done, Colleen lifted him so his head rested on her shoulder and she burped him. She set Namaro on her lap and he started to coo and laugh when she made funny faces.
"You're good with kids." Piccolo stated.
"I've had lot's of practice with my little brother and sister and cousins. I'm the oldest in my family. Well, I have a cousin who's like two moths older, but aside from her, I'm oldest." She was bouncing him on her knee.
Colleen's next question took Piccolo by surprise. "You ever thought about having kids?"
"Haha, no. Picture me with a little kid. Not a good combination. And children get in the way."
"Yea, sometimes. But that's what life's all about. Growing up, finding love, getting married, and having a family. You've never thought of that? Ever?"
"Love is not something I would know, or probably allowed to know. I can't have it, so I don't think about it." Piccolo stared at the wall in front of him, not wanting to look Colleen in the eye.
"Everyone is allowed to experience love. Even people who are bad can love, which you are not. I think you'd make a great dad." Colleen said smiling. He did seem like a great father figure.
"Sure I would."
"You wanna hold him?" Piccolo looked down at Colleen and Namaro. The little wind bag was kinda cute, he guessed.
"....Ok." He hesitated. Colleen handed Namaro to Piccolo. Piccolo picked him up with his big green hands uncertainly. He held the little boy out by his under arms, and his shoulders were up to his ears.
"You have to hold him like this." Colleen said. She put one of Piccolo's hands around the bottom of his little tushie, and the other behind his head. She eased Piccolo's hands to his chest to cradle Namaro. Piccolo looked down at the little life in his hands, and Namaro looked up at the green face, and hanging antennae. His chubby little fingers went up to flick and play with Piccolo's antennae, giggling. This was weird to Piccolo, but not really a bad weird.
"He likes you." Colleen said. She looked at the sight before her and smiled. 'Where's a camera when you need one?' Piccolo looked so sweet, he was smiling and let Namaro play with his finger. Namaro gurgled and started to pull on his nose.
"Colleen?" came ChiChi's voice from down the hall.
"Uh-oh. You better hand him back. ChiChi will have a conniption fit if she sees you holding him. Come here big guy." Colleen took Namaro from Piccolo's hands as ChiChi walked into the room. She took Namaro from Colleen, huffed at Piccolo, and left the room. Goku and Yamcha came in soon after she left.
"Man, that was great!" Goku beamed patting his stomach. He has some sauce and who knows what else on his shirt.
"Yea, where'd you learn to cook like that? My girlfriend should hire you as a cook. She owns Capsule Corp. you know." Yamcha said.
"Colleen is not a servant. She's my student and we're going. Come on." Piccolo got off the couch and headed for the door. Colleen waved and followed Piccolo out the door and they both took off into the sky.
The flight back to the camp was a quiet one. A comfortable silence between them stayed until they touched down in the clearing. Once there they commenced to spar until an hour or so after sunset. They stopped for the night and just sat by the campfire opposite from each other, staring at the flames. Piccolo looked over to Colleen. The light from the fire was dancing on her face and in her blue eyes. It was then he felt a funny warm feeling spread over him. She looked different. Well, not really different, she looked the same. But she looked......... 'Pretty.' He thought.
'Then again, I don't really know what exactly 'pretty' is. But, she is.' He kept staring at her trying to figure out this new feeling.
Colleen felt eyes on her and looked up to see Piccolo staring at her. "What?" she asked raising an eyebrow.
"Huh? Oh, nothing. Just......never mind." He answered.
"Ok." They both looked down at the fire again. Colleen glanced up and noticed the shadows from the fire light on Piccolo's face.
'Why does he have to be so darn hot?' she thought to herself. She got up and walked to her make-shift bed which was only Piccolo's cape. He didn't wear it much now that they trained nearly 24/7.
Piccolo got up as well and walked over to his spot by Colleen, just a tree trunk to lean on. He mostly slept sitting up in his lotus position.
"Night, Pic." Colleen yawned.
"Good night." Piccolo took one last look at her face, her eyes closed, and closed his eyes and fell asleep.
A dark figure in the trees turned around and leapt through the forest from the clearing Piccolo and Colleen were in. It dashed through the wood like a deer, but faster. When the figure came to a disfigured tree, it pressed a notch in the trunk and a black portal opened. It stepped inside to be transported to a dark room full of dimly lit candles. At the end of the room was a large black throne where a woman with fire-red hair and a long silk, black, sleeveless dress was seated. Her eyes were cold and gray with no pupils, her skin pale, and four small purple horns jutted from the top of each eye above her red eyebrows. She had fangs and blood red lips. On her neck she wore a ruby pendant in the shape of a crescent moon held by a short golden chain.
"Did you find them?" she asked.
"Yes Lady Siortine (1). I have spies watching the girl and demon day and night." The figure responded in a double-sounded voice, both high and low tones.
"Excellent." The devious beauty smirked showing a fang, rose a hand and waved it across the air. A foggy picture appeared. In the image was Colleen and Piccolo sleeping near the fire.
"Soon." Lady Siortine said evilly. "Soon."
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(1)= Siortine is Gaelic for "Eternal fire." Pronounced 'She-ur-chin-na'.
Oooh, I'm adding more plot! Do you like? Again, sorry for the slight Yamcha bashing, I tried to make it as subtle as possible. I just don't like the guy. I hope I got Goku, ChiChi, and Yamcha's characters right. Tell me if I didn't.
REVIEW PLEASE!!!!!!
Keep going......
THERE!