The Mysterious Namek

by Gothic Piccolo

A ship crashes in the desert. Inside is a Namek who has never had any contact with people, language or anything else. Who is he? Where did he come from? Why is he here?

2. Secrets Unlocked

The Mysterious Namek
Episode Two: "Secrets Unlocked"

Have you seen my Childhood?
I'm searching for the world that I come from
'Cause I've been looking around
In the lost and found of my heart...

No one understands me
They view it as such strange eccentricities...
'Cause I keep kidding around
Like a child, but pardon me...

People say I'm not okay
'Cause I love such elementary things...
It's been my fate to compensate,
for the Childhood
I've never known...

Have you seen my Childhood?
I'm searching for that wonder in my youth
Like pirates and adventurous dreams,
Of conquest and kings on the throne...

Before you judge me,
try hard to love me,
Look within your heart then ask,
Have you seen my Childhood?

People say I'm strange that way
'Cause I love such elementary things,
It's been my fate to compensate,
for the Childhood I've never known...

Have you seen my Childhood?
I'm searching for that wonder in my youth
Like fantastical stories to share
The dreams I would dare, watch me fly...

Before you judge me, try hard to love me.
The painful youth I've had
Have you seen my Childhood?
-- Michael Jackson, "Childhood"

"Aiiieeeeee! Aaaaaah! AAAAHHH!" Setsuetsu's frightened cries rang out shrilly, nearly destroying Piccolo's eardrums in the process. Piccolo was holding the frightened Namek down with a simple wrestling hold, enduring the squirming with ease while a blood sample was taken. He didn't even flinch when something warm and wet started to trickle, then pour copiously over his left leg.

As far as Setsuetsu was concerned, these people were trying to kill him! Pain was an unknown sensation to him, so the simple poke of the needle was excruciating, and his distressed cries spoke much of how he felt.

"There…" Bulma pulled the needle out and placed a piece of cotton over the droplet of blood welling up. "All done, big guy." She smiled, placed the blood sample into a container and quietly left. As soon as Bulma was gone, Piccolo released Setsu and watched him huddle up in a corner, shaking in fright.

Gohan had been right about the messy bit; Setsu was struggling so hard that he ended up wetting himself, Piccolo and the bed all at once. Piccolo curled his lip slightly upon realizing this and executed a simple ki technique to dry himself, the bed and Setsu off. "Well, at least I don't have to worry about that again for a few hours," He commented, then looked at the tiny mark on his arm where some of his own blood had been drawn, apparently for comparison or something.

Setsu turned his eyes to the floor, clutching his blanket tightly in his arms with a small whine. Piccolo sighed, got up and walked over to where the other Namek was. Taking the blanket from Setsu's hands, he spread it out and wrapped it around his narrow shoulders to at least try and comfort him. Setsu responded by rising to his knees and curling his arms around Piccolo's waist. He wanted to be held, protected and warm, his mind too blank to realize he was too big for that sort of thing.

The gesture took Piccolo by surprise too, and he stared wide-eyed at Setsu for a moment before slowly placing a hand on his back, his fingernails slightly denting the material of his gi top. He sighed and lowered himself to sit in front of the other Namek, whose head was now in his lap, "I know this place is pretty crazy to you…it was to me the first time I saw the light of day. You'll get used to it, Setsu…"

Setsuetsu's intense eyes focused on Piccolo's face as his words passed through his ears without being understood. A small sigh escaped his lips and his hand rose to touch Piccolo's throat as if he was looking for something.

"Now what are you doing?" Piccolo asked, growing a tad annoyed by so much physical contact. No reply came from the innocent-minded Namek as he traced a pattern over Piccolo's throat, moving so lightly that his touch was starting to tickle a little. Piccolo finally grasped Setsu's pale hand, moved it away and growled slightly, "No."

Blinking, Setsu stared at Piccolo's dark green hand holding onto his slightly paler one as the memory of a large blood-stained green hand holding a tiny one floated up to the surface in his mind. He closed his fingers around the hand holding onto his, buried his face in Piccolo's chest and quietly started to sob.

Piccolo frowned at Setsu's odd action, not at all understanding what could be going through the other Namek's mind. He curled his lip to show a hint of a gleaming fang. I get angry and he starts to cry…hmph… Why is this happening?

Down in the lab, the mummified body found at the crash site was being X-rayed and tested for various different things. Dr. Briefs was pretty fascinated by it, especially since it didn't come apart when he laid it flat to run the scans. That meant the skin was probably still slightly elastic, or there was still some muscles still attached to the bones. There was no way to tell yet.

"Hey, dad. How's it going in here?" Bulma asked as she popped in with the blood tests in hand. She stopped by the mirror to check her make-up, then turned to face her father.

"So far, so good. This should be interesting…the last time I used this old thing, it was to check Vegeta out after he hurt himself in training." He chuckled from behind his frosty mustache and pushed his glasses up on his nose, "I hope it works."

She winked and flipped a strand of her shiny light blue hair over her shoulder, "I'm sure you'd be able to fix it if it broke."

"Reeeeeoooooow!" The small black cat on Dr. Briefs's shoulder added in.

"Well, time to get to work…"

Piccolo eased his legs out from under Setsuetsu's head when he was sure he was asleep. He was pretty tired himself and settled against the wall with his eyes shut to rest for awhile. His intentions were only to meditate, but sleep crept up anyway and snatched his consciousness into its clutches.

In his dreams, Piccolo could see a city going up in flames with the sky painted red for miles around from the light of a fire. Buildings were crumbling and falling around him. Cracks lined the streets and people were running around in a blind panic. It was strange, the way the dream had no sound, and the Namek watched the chaos around him without knowing how to make sense of it all.

A cry sounded and he turned to see Setsu's naked body surrounded by flames. He moved to pull him out, but a wall of flames rose and stopped him in his tracks by buffeting him with its blistering heat.

Somewhere amid the wall of fire, there was a shape, an outline of a person. Strangely, all Piccolo could see was a hint of the figure's ebony lips. It pointed a delicate finger at his face, and a red light ignited at the tip of the well-manicured black nail.

"Gah!" Piccolo snapped his head up to find himself in the bedroom again. Setsuetsu was curled up against the wall with his eyes wide-open and a strange expression on his thin face. His hands were folded and pressed to his chest, gripping the blanket around his shoulders.

Somehow, he had managed to get out of his new clothes, and they were lying in a pile in the middle of the room.

"Setsuetsu?" Piccolo eased himself to his feet, walked over to the other Namek and stood over him with his arms crossed. His shadow fell over Setsu's form. "Hey."

Setsu didn't respond, not even a twitch of an eyelid. Piccolo passed his hand close to his face, but not even that got a response. Shaking him didn't work either; it was almost as if the poor green Namek had gone into a catatonic state brought on by fear. His senses were shut down so far that he wasn't even thinking, his body just passively feeling, hearing, smelling, tasting and seeing without comprehending.

All Setsu could see was the fire, the frighteningly awful fire, and there was nobody there to protect him from it. He was cut off, alone and trapped.

Piccolo watched him for almost a full minute, searching for a response of any kind. He suddenly noticed how skinny the other Namekian really was, the way his face was drawn and the way his ribs were standing out on his sides. Put together, those were strong signs of malnutrition.

The door opened, and Piccolo quickly straightened to face whoever was entering. He found himself face to face with Bulma, who was holding a printout in her hand and wearing a tired expression on her young face. "Hey, Piccolo? I think you should come outside the door so we can talk."

"Does it really matter? Setsu doesn't understand language." The Namek muttered as he crossed his large arms over his broad chest and regarded Bulma with his intense gaze, "So, is there something wrong with him, or what?"

Bulma tiredly brushed a hand through her blue hair and yawned, tucking a pencil behind her ear in the meantime. "Nobody will know anything until the physical is done, but my dad and I found something interesting about the mummy's DNA." She eyed the Namek curiously to make sure he was willing to listen. When she got a nod, she continued, "Well…that mummy's DNA is identical to yours…"

Piccolo's shock did not show, save for a quick blink of his eyes. "And…?"

"There were pieces of eggshell in its throat with tiny bits of body fluids attached to them. They contained Setsu's DNA, and his DNA is almost identical to yours."

"What?! What does this mean?" He asked impatiently.

"The way this DNA is matching up…it can only mean that Setsuetsu is your son." She lifted her gaze to meet his with a seriousness that proved she wasn't trying to make a sick joke of some kind. "It's…pretty amazing…"

My…son? He's my SON!? The Namek thought in silent surprise, having to use every ounce of his self-control to keep it from showing on his face. Still, he couldn't avoid the slight widening of his eyes.

"I think the ship he came in was the same Time Machine that Trunks used when he came back from the future. I found a piece of metal with the word 'Hope!!!' written on it. Trouble is…why did it take twenty years for it to get here? That's how long it was active." Her eyes lowered to the chart again, slowly, and changed the subject. "Now, he still needs a physical to make sure he's not hurt or anything. It can also determine if he's sick or not too."

Piccolo's Adam's apple bobbed up and down as he looked over his shoulder at Setsu, who hadn't moved in the slightest bit while he was being talked about. "I don't think he'll be a problem for awhile. He's shut down, and won't respond to anything." He kept speaking when Bulma turned to leave, "And I want to see this…'mummy'."

The blue-haired woman gulped to herself, not so sure if that was a good idea. I'm not sure about Piccolo…but I'd be scared to death to see myself dead! "Um…this way then." She swallowed again. The tall Namek always made her nervous.

Piccolo simply nodded, dropped his arms to his sides and followed Bulma out of the room. She headed down the hall to an elevator that led down another floor, then opened up into the well-lit lab. Right in front of where they came out was the scanner, where something was covered with a white sheet.

Walking over without asking, the tall Namek grasped a corner of the sheet yanked it off, exposing the mummified body. A bead of sweat dripped off the side of his face when he saw the mummified body lying there, and his eyes wandered to the gaping hole in the throat area. Then they moved to the serene facial expression and one hairless green brow quirked upwards a fraction of a degree.

This is me after being dead for twenty years? He thought as his eyes searched for anything else that could have caused his 'future self' to die, and his eyes fell upon a small entry wound on the mummy's side. It was so small that the human eye could easily miss it, but the MRI scan showed that internal organs had been liquefied or disintegrated. That meant his future self was already nearly dead, and probably too weak to regurgitate the egg. So he hadn't lived long enough to transfer any knowledge to the child other than his name. Could have been worse, I guess… His green hand lowered to touch one of the withered bony ones, which looked like it did when Cell had nearly absorbed him, and the leathery skin crackled like paper when pressure was applied. I must have been really desperate to have Setsuetsu…I would never give birth unless it was to preserve my race, and myself… He sighed, That also means he's imprinted himself to me, and he knows who I am no matter what age or state I'm in…but I'm not bonded to him…not now anyway. I don't think I can bond…or want to…

Piccolo closed his eyes to brush aside his thoughts. He was able to picture himself in those painful last moments, screaming in agony as his throat exploded with eggshell and living Namekian flesh. He could see himself sink to the floor, cradling that helpless child in his arms as they bonded, wrapping his cape around him to keep him warm and holding his tiny hand to say a last goodbye before closing his eyes for the last time. He could hear the child screaming as his father's blood soaked the cape wrapped around his tiny body.

Just the idea of such a thing happening caused his eyes to mist over, but he swallowed the tears, bit his lip to keep it from trembling and turned away, controlling his voice so it wouldn't crack, "I've seen enough. Let's get Setsuetsu's physical over with so he can rest."

"OK, go ahead and bring him here. I'll get everything set up. When he comes out of whatever trance he's in, I think it's a good idea to test how smart he is. I think it's best we find out if his mind is normal or not."

Piccolo heaved a sigh and left the room without a word. Outside the room where Setsu was, he replaced his cape and turban, then headed in. Setsu hadn't moved from where he was; his chest was wet from salivating, but at least there wasn't a puddle under him. His eyes still held that eerie, distant and frightened look.

Watching him sit there like that, Piccolo felt his previous emotions surfacing again. This person was his own child, born just like he was; alone, afraid and without a childhood.

He never wished that loneliness on anyone, not even his worst enemies.

Heaving a last sigh, Piccolo crossed the room and bent over the other Namekian's thin frame. His cape swished gently as he placed his hands on Setsu's shoulders and gently stood him up, "C'mon, let's get you checked out." He moved to walk him out, but poor Setsu's legs just caved in, so Piccolo lifted him into this arms and carried him out of the room.

Bulma was pacing around in the lab when the door opened and Piccolo walked in with Setsu in his arms. She eyed the tall Namekian nervously before asking, "He's still out of it?"

"Yeah," Piccolo stated tersely, "Where should I put him down?"

"On the table over there." She pointed a manicured finger with a soft pink nail at an examining table by the wall. Piccolo nodded, carried Setsuetsu over and placed him on the table. Setsu obediently lied down when he was placed on the table, that is, if one could call allowing someone to manipulate their body into a certain position 'obedience'.

Before moving away, Piccolo reached down and gently brushed a hand over Setsuetsu's eyes to close them so they wouldn't dry out. Then he nodded to Bulma and stepped back so she could work.

"That's that." Bulma breathed as she put down the device in her hand and turned off a machine next to the table. "Now the computer will look everything over and tell us if anything's wrong with this big guy." She looked down at Setsu, who hadn't moved at all during his examination, and chewed her lower lip in thought, "I think he should wear a diaper until he learns how to use the bathroom properly. Much less mess."

Piccolo snapped his head up at that idea and sneered, "Diapers for a full-grown person?! Are you nuts?!" He bore his teeth and growled. No child of his deserved such a thing…even if he didn't know how to control himself.

"I think it would be a lot easier than cleaning up puddles and changing his pants. Really, Piccolo, I know you probably hate the idea…" She gulped and brushed a strand of blue hair from her eyes, "But it'll make it easier to take care of him." There was a pause as she fanned the air in front of her. "However, before we do anything, he needs a bath. Phew."

For once, Piccolo agreed with the spunky blue-haired woman. "I'll take him to wherever you want to bathe him, but you can do the washing." He sneered, "I need to train for awhile and loosen up." As he spoke, he reached down and picked Setsu up as easily as if he were a baby. For the second time that day he followed Bulma down the corridor and into the bathroom.

"Just put him in the tub and let me handle the rest. This is probably going to be like bathing an oversized Trunks." She grinned at the notion and turned on the warm water. "Who knows? Maybe it'll wake him up from whatever place in his mind he's in." Said Bulma as she dug out some soap, a towel and some wash-cloths.

Piccolo frowned and growled as he placed Setsuetsu into the slowly-filling bathtub. He hated to leave him, but he didn't want to watch him being treated like a child either. On top of that, he just wasn't sure of how to take care of him. His own father had filled his mind with so much hatred before he died that there was no room for the lessons of life and parenting. And…it wasn't easy for Piccolo to express his moods very well. At least not anything other than anger.

Without giving a goodbye or anything, the tall Namek swept out of the room with his grand cape flowing behind him like a banner. His mind was a jumbled swirl of confusion and emotions as he wondered what could have happened to Setsu to put him into a catatonic state that deep.

"Well, that was rude!" Bulma muttered as Piccolo's shadow disappeared from view. Her attention turned to Setsu in the tub, "Anyway, I guess it's just you and me, Setsu." She said as wispy bubbles swirled around the green figure. His eyes were open again, but they didn't track any movement as the soft cloth was rubbed over his skin to clean him off. Bulma didn't seem to mind, and chattered away while she worked, "So, are you gonna start moving again pretty soon? I mean…it's pretty inconvenient when we have to lug you around. I could break a nail!"

Setsuetsu just stared down at the water, which created moving patterns on his green and pink skin. The water became cloudy when the soap was rinsed off and mixed with the dirt and skin oil coming off as he soaked. Bulma put a hand under his chin and lifted his head so she could wash his face, and his eyes squinted when a little soap got into them, but the rest of his face didn't hint at pain or discomfort. It was there, the pain, yet it didn't seem to register.

"Woops, sorry about that. Lemme fix it." She rinsed the rag off and brushed it over his eyes to clean them out. When she finished, she pulled the plug to drain the bath and grabbed a towel, which she draped over Setsu's head to dry his face off. It was almost funny, the way his antennae stayed brushed back when the towel moved away to dry the rest of his naked green form off. "OK…now let's see if I can stand you up." The woman slung the towel over her shoulder, wrapped an arm around Setsu's waist and pulled him up while keeping a hand on his chest to steady him. Seeing that it worked, she tried inching back to make him step out of the tub, but his legs wouldn't budge. That forced her to reach down and lift his legs one at a time, then she had to drag him over to the toilet and sit him down on it while she got his necessary clothing. Needless to say, it was very hard work, and she almost dropped the poor alien several times along the way.

"Whew, this is hard work," Bulma muttered to herself as she grabbed the gi she'd seen Setsu wearing earlier. She carried the clothes back into the bathroom where the thin Namekian was still sitting and staring blankly.

"Now…" Picking up the shirt, she thrust his arms through the armholes and tugged it down over his head. A small pang of guilt washed over her as she put the diaper on him, but it was the only way to keep him clean and his clothes dry. It was easy to get his leggings back on, but she left the shirt un-tucked for the time being. Too bad if Piccolo doesn't like it. He can fix it himself!

Just as the thought left Bulma's mind, Piccolo arrived with a shiny layer of sweat on his face and arms. Still not with it, I see. Well…I guess I'll take over for awhile then. He thought while watching the other Namek with his dark eyes. "I'll handle him from here."

"Please do." Bulma remarked tiredly as she shoved Setsu's shoes onto his feet, "It was a struggle to get him out of the darn tub! He may be skinny, but he's heavy!"

Piccolo suppressed a chuckle of amusement at the weak human, walked over to Setsu and easily picked him up. "Go see if there's any…results…yet." He added as he carried Setsu out. When the Namek in his arms didn't give any response to being moved, Piccolo breathed an agitated sigh and rumbled, "C'mon, Setsuetsu. You're stronger than this!"

The door creaked as Piccolo kicked it open, heaved the other Namek through and put him carefully down on the bed. He had to pull Setsu's legs straight and push his upper body gently down to make him lie down properly; that's just how far out of it the poor Namek was.

"Setsuetsu…" Piccolo spoke again, "No son of mine would behave like this…so come on. Don't be weak." He assumed the lotus position next to the bed and crossed his arms. "I'm not leaving until you wake up, so you had better make it fast."

No response. Setsu's eyes just stared with the blankness of a corpse, his lips parted a little in a frozen moan of fear. His antennae drooped to his face and cast shadows over his thin cheeks, and his hands were folded on his thin chest.

Piccolo sighed to himself and reached for the bottled water on the table beside the bed. He unscrewed the lid, placed one hand under Setsuetsu's head to lift it a little and tipped the bottle to his lips. The water poured gently against the back of his throat, causing him to swallow, and a few drops dribbled from the corner of his mouth. When Piccolo was sure Setsu had drank enough for awhile, he moved the bottle away and placed it back onto the table, keeping his hand on the back of his head as he stared down at his face in thought.

He is just a child in his mind…he knows nothing of the world or how it works, and he can't understand language. How can I teach someone who doesn't understand? Piccolo was asking himself as he stood over the bed and stared down at the other Namek lying there. He felt like fate was forcing him to take care of this other person, even though he hated dealing with the weak. But what if my behavior is what frightened him? Have I caused this? No…no child should have to fear his own father…

He realized his mind was trying to make up excuses for every thought he was thinking and began to wonder if he was actually starting to bond with the Namek who was supposedly his son. It was getting more and more difficult to be away from him, that was for sure.

"Hey, Piccolo! How's he doing?" Gohan seemed to materialize out of thin air, interrupting Piccolo's train of thought.

Piccolo glanced over at his student, who had something shiny in his hand, and replied gruffly, "He's still catatonic."

"Oh."

He lowered the other Namek's head back onto the pillow and crossed his arms, "Did Bulma send you down here?"

Gohan shook his head and sighed, tugging uncomfortably at the collar of the new shirt his mother had given him that morning, "Nah, I was curious to see how he's doing. I talked to Bulma, yes, but she didn't tell me to come in here. So, he's really your son?"

"According to what the DNA scans say…" Piccolo answered and settled into the lotus position. "What's that thing in your hand?" He nodded towards the shiny object in Gohan's hand, then raised his eyes to regard the boy with his typical stern seriousness.

"Oh." The young half-Saiyajin looked down at the plastic object. It was red on the bottom with a transparent plastic dome on top. Inside, it contained a small depiction of a humanoid black and white cat walking up a silver staircase. "It's a musical snow dome. If I shake it like so…" He shook it up and caused silver glitter to swirl around inside the dome, "Well, you get the idea. But if I wind it up, it plays the chorus notes to the song Memory. I thought Setsu might like it."

"As if he can hear anything right now," Piccolo muttered.

Gohan shrugged and put the snow dome on the table by the water bottle. "Anyway, I have to get back home to study. My mom let me take a break and my time's up."

Piccolo snorted in indignation, wondering if Gohan's mother ever let up on that stupid studying, "Hmph. See ya around, I guess."

"Before I go, I have one question."

"Shoot."

"How did Setsuetsu get that way? He was fine last night…" Gohan drew his hand through the thick unruly locks of his bangs to get them out of his eyes. They were in need of a trim, and soon.

Piccolo's eyes moved from Gohan's face to Setsuetsu's unmoving frame on the bed. He sighed, "I really don't know…I fell asleep, had a nightmare and woke up to find Setsuetsu like this. He was in the corner all curled up like he was trying to hide from something."

Gohan blinked a few times and thought to himself about this for a moment before a light bulb went off in the back of his head, "What if he shared the same dream with you? I mean…if you're related, could you be mentally linked somehow? Like you and Kami were?"

A frown creased Piccolo's brow as he thought about this new information, "My father was Kami's evil half, and I took his place when he was killed. I couldn't have split myself while my other half gave birth, because Setsuetsu would have died with me. But that is a good thought, Gohan. I'll have to explore it a little."

"Cool." He looked at his watch and sweat-dropped, "I better get going. Good luck, Piccolo!" With that, he raced out the door and disappeared down the hall.

Piccolo heaved a sigh and let the idea of the mental link roll around in his head while he absently picked the snow dome up. He turned it over, found the little key and turned it until it wouldn't turn anymore. The music started to play softly, the tinkling little melody drifting around the room until it finally wound down.

Could Setsuetsu and I be linked mentally? Is my nightmare the reason he's like this? The Namek asked himself as he turned the little key to make the music play again without really thinking about it. What if that dream somehow came from him? What if he was trying to tell me something? Could I have given birth to him in the future with just this knowledge, along with his name, to warn myself in the past of something or someone? Or was it just desperation to save him? So many questions!

Piccolo became aware that he was winding the little snow dome up for the third time, and heaved a sigh as the music started to play again. He lowered his head, closed his eyes and tuned out the music so he could continue searching for answers.

As the music wound down, his mind finally came to a conclusion, Well, I guess if his mind is that of a child, then I'll just have to treat him as one until he learns to behave properly…there is no other choice. Perhaps, someday, he'll be able to tell me what happened… Another thought struck, this one seeming almost painful, What if he's dying? He lifted his eyes to look over at the other Namek lying in the bed, so still and lifeless.

"Just…why did you show up here in the first place? Why here?" Piccolo asked as if he'd get a response. "How can I bring you back from wherever you are?"

You could wrap him in that blanket and hold him, A voice spoke from the back of his mind.

Yeah, sure, Nail. What good would that do?

Comfort, Piccolo. If he's suffering, it will comfort him.

He's right. Kami added tersely. He may not be aware, but he is still your son, and he still needs you.

Sighing, Piccolo lowered his eyes to Setsu, who still hadn't moved. This idea felt utterly ridiculous and pointless, but it was also worth a try since nothing else had worked.

Reaching over, he grabbed the white blanket, wrapped it around Setsu's upper body the way he had the day before and waited for a response. When there was none, he sighed mentally, lowered his arms and awkwardly took Setsu into them, cradling him. Showing this affection felt very strange to Piccolo, especially since he'd never held a child, let alone a grown adult. At least not like this. But, as awkward as it felt, it also brought a strangely peaceful sensation to his mind and body, one he would never be able to explain. Nothing really mattered but that moment.

Setsuetsu saw the two hands reach towards him through the flames, followed by a shape. He couldn't see it, but he could feel it, just as much as he felt two arms wrapping around his thin frame to keep him safe. When he knew he was safe at last, Setsu slowly allowed himself to relax in the safety of the protective embrace.

Piccolo just watched in silence as Setsu's agonized expression changed to one of peace.

Yes, I've gotten through to you now, Setsuetsu… He thought as he watched the other green man close his eyes and felt his thin body relax in his arms. There is hope for you now. A small smile pulled at the corners of his mouth as he used one hand to cup the top of Setsu's smooth green head as he slept. Maybe this isn't so bad after all…

And Setsu slept on while Piccolo continued to hold and watch over him.

Morning came, the rising sun shining through the window and onto the bed where Setsu was lying. Piccolo was in the lotus position at his side, and lifted his head when the light struck his apathetic face. He half-turned to check on the other Namek and found his dark eyes were open, but he hadn't moved in any other way.

Still not with it. I guess this is going to take awhile then. Piccolo thought as he tried to figure out what he could do for Setsu. He finally made up his mind and decided to try holding him again like he had the night before. It had gotten a response then, so why shouldn't it work for a second time?

Reaching down, Piccolo tugged the corners of the blanket around Setsuetsu's shoulders. Then he slipped his arms around the thin figure and forced himself to pull him uncomfortably close. Pushing Setsu's head down onto one of his shoulder pads and cupped the back of his head while his other arm stayed around his shoulders. His nails dented the white blanket gently.

"Hey…it's time to start waking up, Setsuetsu. I can't do this forever. It's embarrassing." Piccolo stated calmly with an edge of annoyance in his scratchy voice. He sat perfectly still with the other Namek in his arms, his cape falling in folds around them both and blending with the white blanket. Since the blanket and the cape were one in the same, it was impossible to tell where the cape ended and the blanket began.

Just as he had the previous night, Setsu saw the figure reach through flames and take him into its arms. His head was gently pushed to rest on a white shoulder pad, and a deep voice spoke through the silence. Though he couldn't understand the words, he knew the voice was speaking directly into his ear.

"Setsuetsu…you need to come back. I can't teach you anything if you can't react to me." Piccolo kept speaking calmly, but growing more uncomfortable as time passed. He didn't want to admit that he was bonding with the other Namek, and he knew this bond was happening because he could feel Setsu's presence whenever they were in the same room. It was like a whisper in the back of his mind, or the radiating warmth one feels when they're standing extremely close to another living person. Very different from the normal sensation of a high power nearby.

Setsu's eyes closed and opened in slow motion, then laboriously shifted to fix onto Piccolo's face. He didn't smile, shed a tear or grimace in pain; there was no expression on his face at all. He just stared into the other Namek's eyes for what seemed to be an eternity, and while their eyes were locked, Piccolo saw flashes of the nightmare he'd had when Setsu had gone into this state. Only they were more detailed.

Flash!

Flames shooting up everywhere.

Flash!

People being sheared in half by beams of laser light.

Flash!

A petite figure emerging from the flames, extending a delicate arm and pointing a manicured finger at Piccolo's face.

Flash!

The figure's features, revealed fully when a red blast of light emanated from its fingertip.

Flash!

Shiny purple cabochons adorning a head and shoulders.

Flash!

Delicate moon-white skin.

Flash!

Scarlet-red eyes burning with blood-lust.

Flash!

Ebony-black lips wearing a cold smile of malice.

Flash!

Two vertical black lines accenting a pale face wearing a look of hatred.

Flash!

Feminine laughter shattering the silence.

Flash!

Setsuetsu's expressionless green visage.

Flash - flash - flash - flash - flash - flash - flash - flash - flash - flash - flash!

The images kept repeating themselves in Piccolo's mind, over and over, faster and faster until they were all just a blur of blacks, whites and grays. Then all went black.

Piccolo jerked his head back as if he'd been hit. He let his head slump forward as he started to pant hungrily, sweat pouring down his temples and soaking into his collar. Setsu's glittery eyes lost focus again and stayed that way, his expression not changing as he went back to wherever his mind went when he wasn't totally conscious.

When he had recovered from the shock, Piccolo turned his attention to Setsuetsu, who was breathing softly through his mouth, and blinked a few times. Had he done that?

Is this the mental link Gohan mentioned? It's…so strong. But wait a minute here! Not even I can transmit telepathic signals that strongly. Setsu couldn't have possibly pulled it off… Piccolo continued to watch Setsu, and slowly lowered him to lie down in the bed. He settled in the lotus position by the bed and crossed his arms, frowning deeply as a barely detectable rumble rose in his throat. His thoughts continued, Unless…

Piccolo blinked again and looked at Setsu with wide eyes, speaking aloud as the realization came to him in the form of a small epiphany. "He's a Kami…"

"Who's a Kami?" Asked Bulma as she closed the door behind her. She walked to the bed, pulled the covers away and proceeded to change Setsuetsu's diaper. He was piddling when she started to change him, so she held the diaper in the stream and waited for him to finish before lifting one of his legs out of the way to dry him off. Then she cleaned him up and replaced the wet diaper with a dry one and covered him back up.

Piccolo turned his head and closed his eyes to avoid watching what Bulma was doing, "Setsuetsu. He just sent me a series of telepathic images…probably because he doesn't know how to speak, but that's not the point. The point is that only a Kami has a mind that powerful."

"Oh, wow!" Bulma perked up, "He can make Dragon Balls?"

He growled at her insolent behavior without answering the obvious. Foolish human.

Bulma lowered her blue eyes to look once again at Setsu, who was staring blankly at the ceiling. She extended her hand gently and brushed it over his smooth green forehead, "Looks like you're just full of secrets, big guy." Her eyes fell upon the little snow dome next to the bed. Curious, she reached over, picked it up and started to wind the little key, then released it and let the tinkling music start to play. "There you go…"

Piccolo wrinkled his nose, "Why are you babying him? It's not like it'll get a response."

Bulma put her free hand on her hip and glared over at the grumpy Namek, then looked back down at Setsu. "Aww…he's smiling!"

"What?" Piccolo craned his neck to look. Sure enough, there was a small smile pulling at Setsuetsu's lips. His eyes were still blank and distant, but he was showing signs of hearing the outside world. That in itself made Piccolo feel an odd relief, and he settled against the wall, feigning apathy so Bulma would leave. He didn't like to show gentleness to anyone but the one person it was intended towards.

The blue-haired woman just rolled her eyes, "Whatever. Anyway, the computer should be done running his data through pretty soon. I'll be back when it's ready."

"Fine, now leave us be."

After receiving that cold shoulder, Bulma angrily put the little snow dome down on the table by the bed and walked out in a huff.

Piccolo just shook his head, Females…I'll never understand them. Then he moved to sit on the edge of the bed, the mattress sagging a little in protest with his weight, and placed a slender hand on the top of Setsu's head. Setsu's skin was a paler than Piccolo's, but it would darken in time when exposed to the sun enough. It had probably been dark when he was born, then paled as he used the nutrients in his cells to stay alive all those years without water or anything of nutritious value. It was amazing that he had the strength to run and struggle so much when he was first found.

The smile had faded from Setsu's face, returning it to the blank expression. Piccolo reached for the water bottle next to the bed, unscrewed the lid and held Setsu's head up while tipping the bottle to his lips. The Namek mechanically started to swallow the liquid when it hit the back of his throat. It was a Namekian reflex to keep water out of the lungs, the equivalent to a human coughing after swallowing wrong.

Piccolo just watched Setsu as he fed him the last of the water in the bottle, which fogged up and grew warm to the touch when he let his breath out after holding it to drink.

"Setsuetsu, when are you going to find your way back to me?" He asked softly, "You can't come all this way just to die here. You have to start moving around…helping us discover your secrets. I can teach you anything you need to learn about the world, but you have to respond to me before I can teach you anything." He sighed at his own sentimentality and hardened his expression, letting his hand move from Setsu's forehead to his cheek, then away. "I'll be waiting..."

After speaking to Setsu, Piccolo realized his body was alerting him to a need he hadn't taken care of in almost two days. He sighed, moved away from the bed and left the room, leaving the door open while he went into the room across the hall and shut the door. Human toilets really irritated him, especially because of all the noise when someone peed in it. However, the need was so bad that he paid it no mind as he re-arranged his clothes. He started to empty himself and tilted his head back in relief while his mind toiled for the billionth time that day.

I don't know what to do for him anymore. His mind is strong, but his body is so weak…

Piccolo lowered his head to glare at his reflection in the mirror as he finished, tucked himself back in and re-arranged his clothing back into place. He left the bathroom without flushing or washing his hands, padded back into the room and stopped dead in the doorway with his eyes focused on the bed.

It was empty.

"Setsuetsu?!"

The Namek stepped into the dimly-lit room and spotted Setsu sitting on the floor with the snow dome in his hands. His face still had a blank, dead look to it. But he had gotten out of bed and walked! There was no other way he could have gotten there by himself!

Piccolo walked closer to Setsu and lowered to sit in front of him. He grasped the snow dome to wind it up again, but the other Namekian's hands remained tightly clasped around it. Piccolo tried to pull it free and ended up pulling Setsu's hands with it, so he finally just left it alone. He couldn't help but smile a little at the other green alien in front of him.

"Setsu…" Piccolo whispered, using his nickname; it was rare for him to use anyone's nickname unless it was a subtle show of affection. He placed his hands on Setsu's shoulders and continued talking to him, "I'm right here in front of you. If you were looking for me, I'm right here."

Setsu just continued to stare through the flames, which had receded several feet, and he could see those who were previously hidden behind the dancing walls of fire. At the moment, there was face floating there like a ghostly apparition, a face much like his own. He watched the lips move and listened to the voice speaking from between them. The words still sounded like gibberish to his under-developed mind, but at least he could hear it at all. His eyes slowly rose to meet the intense ones that bore into his soul with the intensity of a spear.

Piccolo watched as Setsu's eyes moved to meet his. Though they remained unfocused, Piccolo knew he was being seen and heard. He felt himself smile without knowing why as he hung onto the pale Namek's shoulders and stood up with him. The other Namek was easily pulled to his feet, and stayed standing when Piccolo slowly moved his hands away.

Yes…good…

Reaching over again, Piccolo grasped the snow dome in Setsuetsu's thin hands and tried to take it away from him. Setsu's hands suddenly released the small object, and his eyes lowered to it without showing signs of focusing. That didn't matter: he was at least seeing it.

"Come on." Piccolo stepped back to the bed and waited to see what the other Namekian would do. He felt pretty stupid in doing this, but it was the only way to get through. As far as he was concerned, it was worth acting on whatever got a response out of the pale green figure.

Setsu stood frozen like a statue as Piccolo moved away, his eyes no longer tracking the little plastic snow dome. A little disappointed by this, Piccolo wound the tiny key to make it play the music and shook the little object to make the glitter swirl around. The sound of feet shuffling drew his attention back to Setsu, who was using small baby steps to shuffle towards him.

Piccolo extended his hands, placed them on Setsu's narrow shoulders to halt his automaton-like walking and carefully closed his frail fingers around the snow dome as it wound down to silence. "Here…you earned it, I guess." He kept his hands on his shoulders and settled him on the bed.

Setsuetsu obediently allowed himself to be manipulated into lying down, his mind thinking of nothing but the object in his bony hands as the blankets were pulled up to his waist. He could see Piccolo clearly above the flames, watching his hands pulling something up over his legs.

Piccolo settled on the edge of the bed and watched Setsu stare blankly upwards. He was trying to make sense of what he was feeling, and hoping none of those foolish humans were planning to come in and disrupt the calmness.

Was he really starting to care for Setsu? Could bond destroyed by time and death be regained?

A sliver of light stabbed into the room as Dr. Briefs poked his head in, "Need anything?"

Piccolo's eyes narrowed as he glared at the silver-haired man and breathed, "No. Leave us be."

"Reeeeeoooowwww!" Meowed the cat on Dr. Brief's shoulder as the door slowly closed again.

Piccolo shook his head in disgust and returned his attention to the other Namekian. Setsu's mouth had fallen partially open to show hints of his fangs. His teeth were in good shape, which was nice considering the condition the rest of his body was in.

"Sleep now. I'll be close by." Said Piccolo as he slid away from the bed to settle against the wall. As soon as he closed his eyes, the sheets on the bed rustled and feet shuffled. The Namek, annoyed, lifted his eyelids to see Setsu wandering back towards the center of the room.

He quickly got to his feet and intercepted the other green figure. "No." His green hands came to rest on a pair of narrow shoulders, gently guiding the thinner frame back to bed. "Why are you doing this, Setsuetsu? What's in the middle of the room that fascinates you so much?"

No response.

Piccolo sighed and rolled his eyes, "No more wandering around." Again, Setsu started to sit up, and again, strong hands grasped his shoulders and guided him to lie down, the motion punctuated by a deep voice, "No."

Setsu's lips parted and he strained, but not in attempt to get up. His tongue moved around behind his teeth as if searching for a place to rest against an un-shaped palate, and a strange nasal sound issued from his throat, "N-n-nooooo…"

That sound made Piccolo freeze in his tracks. Setsu had just spoken his first word! Piccolo blinked, narrowed his eyes and lowered to peer into the other Namek's distant eyes. "Did you just speak? Or was that my own mind playing foolish pranks?" He blinked when there wasn't a response, shrugged to himself and moved away.

"N-nooo…" Setsu mumbled again when Piccolo moved away. His voice was deep and almost exactly like Piccolo's, but it sounded hallow and nasal because he lacked speaking experience. He had no idea what the word 'no' meant, of course, but at least he was picking up the sounds and copying them. Piccolo knew now that Setsuetsu would be able to learn to speak, and it would be best to teach him the words and their meanings as he went along.

Teaching him wasn't going to be easy, but at least it was able to be done. Before, it had looked pretty bleak.

Piccolo sighed to himself as the excitement of the moment wore off passed his hand over Setsu's eyes to close them. "Rest now…" He paused and struggled with his pride to let the next comment slip out, "I'm very proud of you, Setsu. Very proud. Tomorrow, I'll start teaching you how to talk. So rest until then." He kept his hand over the other Namek's eyes for a moment before sliding away, feeling genuinely better than he had earlier.

Time is all you need now, and I hope I have enough to show you what you need, Setsu.

Piccolo smiled as he settled next to the bed and lowered his head to meditate. He knew the next day was going to be rather interesting.