At the rate I'm going, the "creepy" part will be out in time for Halloween. Hah.
Disclaimer: I do not own DBZ. If I did, the Nameks would have a much bigger role in the whole story line, and the non-Saiyans would not fade out of existence. How's that for wishful thinking?
Chapter Twenty-Three
Semblance of normalcy? Piccolo snorted in amusement at his thoughts. I'm beginning to think there is no such thing as normal.
The voice that had been pestering him for the last two days had quieted down after he threatened to go to Kami with it, and he wasn't sure if he should be relieved or concerned. At least the old man had been helpful for once – even if he hadn't meant to.
The Namek stood on the beach outside of the Kame House by the same tree Goku had startled him under. Startled, not scared. Piccolo was rarely openly afraid of anything. He could feel Goku's and Gohan's ki as they headed for the island, as well as a third person with them – in all likelihood, Chi-Chi. His neutral expression twisted into a deep scowl. Kami, how he disliked that woman. She was always getting on his nerves, pushing him to the limits of his patience.
Piccolo blinked. Well, there was nothing he could really do about it now. If she was already on her way over, it would be fruitless to ask the other two to take her home, especially if they were staying for lunch. "It could be worse, I suppose," he growled softly, keeping his eyes on the clouds.
"You can say that again," came Krillin's voice from behind him.
"Why is that?"
The monk came forward and stood beside him. "At least she won't be making a scene in front of Gohan again. Goku talked to her about it."
Piccolo cast a startled glance at Krillin, who kept his gaze on the waves. The human wasn't telepathic, so he couldn't have pulled the information from his brain. But how did he know what he was thinking?
Krillin felt the change in the Namek's ki and chuckled, causing him to humph. "I know what you're thinking, Piccolo," he said wryly. "It's not all that hard to figure out, you know, when you're standing out here by yourself and staring off in the direction Goku and his family are coming from with a scowl on your face." He even dared a laugh when Piccolo tensed up. "That," he added, "and the fact that you're practically broadcasting your feelings with your ki. I'm surprised Gohan hasn't sped up yet to find out why you're so upset."
The Namek forcefully exhaled the breath he had unknowingly held in. "Is it that obvious?" he asked softly, almost to the level where Krillin had to strain to hear him.
"It is to me," the other man replied in an equally quiet voice, aware that Piccolo did not want this conversation to be publicized. "You've let your guard down a bit since you've been here, Piccolo. I know I can't read minds or anything like that, but it hasn't been that hard to read your facial expressions and stuff recently."
The green man grunted and folded his arms in front of his chest. "You should not be looking for anything from me, human."
"It's hard not to, when you're a convalescent in my house. You already know we're all keeping an eye on you."
"Feh. You would not be able to do anything if something happened to me."
Krillin said nothing. That much was true; Piccolo was currently the second-strongest being on the planet, and there would be little he would be able to do if the Namek ever decided to go berserk. Then again, it was good advice to never contradict someone who could pound him into a lifeless pulp.
Piccolo smirked inwardly. The monk was not that hard to read either, and his face was saying plain as day that he was contemplating why he should not piss him off. On occasion, Krillin could be quite intelligent.
The uncomfortable silence was broken when Gohan's cheerful greeting was shouted from the sky. "Hi, Piccolo! Hi, Krillin!"
"Hey, kiddo! How's it going?" the midget shouted back, the corners of his mouth twisting up when he saw Piccolo's scowl.
The boy dropped to the beach from some height in the sky and grinned. "Pretty good," he replied. "Hey Piccolo, are you feeling better yet? Dad really wants to spar with you, and maybe me and you too, Krillin." His eyes darted from one fighter to the other.
"Give me a few more days, kid. I'll beat both you and your dad." From the half-amused look that now graced Piccolo's face, neither Krillin nor Gohan could tell if the Namek was kidding or not.
"Aw, quit kidding around, Piccolo," Gohan said after a minute, smiling broadly. "Of course you'll beat me, 'cuz you're stronger than me by a lot, but my dad?"
"Sure, kid. No problem."
The Namek chuckled silently when Gohan and Krillin glanced at each other and shrugged, probably thinking he'd lost his mind. Close enough, it seems, he thought.
"Heh, do you think it's time for lunch yet?" the monk laughed weakly, and earned stares from both Piccolo and his sparring partner.
"Uh, Krillin, Mom and Dad haven't even landed yet." Gohan blinked before shooting his mentor an exasperated frown. When the boy looked away again, Piccolo screwed his own face into a frown. Was Gohan picking up on what he himself was feeling?
He gritted his teeth as the demi-Saiyan began talking about what he hoped they would be having for lunch. Blast. Having a mental bond with a child was certainly not a good way to maintain one's privacy. Ah, well, it couldn't be helped now. Whether either of them liked it or not, they were stuck with each other until one of them figured out how to break that bond.
And who said either of them wanted that?
As tough as he was with the kid, Piccolo knew he would miss having him around, miss the quiet knowledge he wordlessly shared with him while they stared at the late evening sky, the sunrises they had counted together, their sparring matches…
"Hey, Piccolo!" Goku called from somewhere above his head, disrupting his thoughts. "Still here?"
The Namek snorted. "Obviously."
The Saiyan descended slowly with his wife in his arms. "Okay!" he exclaimed, a goofy grin plastered to his face. In contrast, Chi-Chi was doing an admirable job of hiding her displeasure. The result? She looked like she had been sucking on a lemon.
Goku greeted Krillin similarly and set Chi-Chi down on the sand.
Gohan scooted to the Namek's side and discreetly tugged at his cape.
Yeah, kid?
"Are you all right?" the boy whispered.
I'll be fine, Piccolo told him. As an afterthought, he added, I'm going to have to teach you how to speak back one of these days, kid. It would ensure that our conversations remained private.
"I'd like that." And Gohan positively beamed when Piccolo moved a hand to his head and tousled the unruly mop of hair.
"I'm surprised your mom let you keep your hair this long," the Namek remarked, watching as Chi-Chi walked towards the Kame House with Goku and Krillin in tow.
Gohan fingered one of his longer locks of hair after Piccolo removed his hand. "I don't really like it short like that. It makes me look like a mushroom." Then he grinned. "Besides, can you imagine what it'll look like when I turn into a Super Saiyan?"
Piccolo grunted. "Kid, your hair is hardly longer than your dad's – his just stands on end. It won't be that impressive."
"But if it takes me another year to become strong enough to be a Super Saiyan, it'll be long enough that I'll look like I was struck by lightning!" Gohan was excited enough that he started bouncing, and Piccolo sighed.
"You're reading too much about science, kid," the Namek said, rolling his eyes at the boy's impish smile. "You need to get your lessons pounded into you."
"If it's me and you and Dad, it'll be fun," Gohan replied happily without stopping his activity.
Fun, Piccolo mused. He wants to make up for lost time. Though why he is so hyper, I'd like to know. Perhaps he had too much sugar before he came. Feh. I hope he drives Goku and Chi-Chi crazy. The Namek frowned briefly. No, Goku already is crazy. Wising up, but still crazy.
"Gohan!" Chi-Chi called from the house. "Lunch is ready!"
"Oh boy, food!"
Piccolo blinked as his student burst into motion – literally, with a ki flare and a small crater behind him. He never would truly understand these Earthlings and their fascination with food…
Shall we move soon?
By all means.
"Lunch" consisted of a week's worth of leftovers.
Piccolo was not the only one disgusted with Goku's dining habits. It was one thing to watch someone like – say – Krillin, who was rather polite about the whole thing. He didn't shovel everything in like a bulldozer, or a starving man. He actually chewed his food before he swallowed, and he used a napkin.
Which is more than could be said about Goku. Kami, but that man was a mess. Even his own wife could not stomach the view, though she lived with him for years.
So the Namek kept his gaze pointedly away from Goku, as did Chi-Chi, Gohan, and Krillin. The only one who would actually look at the Saiyan was Master Roshi, the Turtle Hermit, who couldn't care less what the other man was doing as long as he was eating all the leftovers. Oolong was not at the table, luckily, or he would have had problems keeping the meal in his stomach.
Needless to say, Goku was not pleasant company at any function involving food.
"Hey, Mom," Gohan asked near the end of the meal, "would you mind if I stayed here tonight?"
All noise – save Goku, of course – stopped as the woman looked over at her son. "For what, Gohan?" she asked in an all-too-pleasant voice, with a thinly veiled threat behind the question: Don't you dare tell me it has something to do with him.
It took all of the demi-Saiyan's willpower to not shudder; the truth would get him into trouble, but lying was not in his nature. "So I can learn a new technique from Piccolo," he said, so quietly his father and Krillin missed his statement entirely.
"Did you just tell me that you want to spend the night here so you can train?" Chi-Chi said just as quietly.
Gohan nodded mutely, and his mother narrowed her eyes. "With that thing?"
Piccolo felt anger welling up inside him. Why would anyone think they would be able to get through a meal without at least one fight? It was a rather impractical assumption. Chi-Chi never could resist tossing a barb at him when she could, as payback for the pain he had caused her family, but this had gone far enough. It was no longer even remotely amusing, and he did not want to see the child he'd grown to care for put on a guilt trip when he had done nothing wrong. It was one thing to insult him, but to drag Gohan into it…
Another nod was the response, and Piccolo caught the tears in Gohan's eyes. The mother-mentor conflict was taking its toll on him.
Enough is enough.
Goku and Krillin both turned their heads sharply the instant they felt Piccolo's ki spike. The Saiyan dropped the piece of chicken he had been about to shove into his mouth and gulped down what he was already chewing. This situation could get ugly, he thought, his eyes widening as he watched the expression on Piccolo's face shift from neutral to the look he wore before he went into battle. That was not good. He didn't really know why Piccolo was taking offense – he never had before, at least not like this – until he saw Gohan struggling not to cry.
Ah, Chi-Chi, what have you gotten yourself into? Goku thought, tensing his arms.
Piccolo rose from his chair silently and folded his arms over his chest. "Leave Gohan out of this," he growled, curling his lips up into a sneer. "He isn't the one you have the problem with."
Chi-Chi met his fierce gaze with her own and stood up as well. "Oh?" she snapped back. "Then I suppose you've suddenly become his mother and know what's best for him, is that it? So you'll take him away and turn him into a monster, too?"
"Chi-Chi," Goku interjected.
"Is fighting the only thing on your mind?" she continued, locked in a glare. Then she dropped the figurative other shoe. "Or are you just hell-bent on destroying everything we've ever worked for, including my son?"
That did it.
For an instant nothing happened. Goku dared to hope that Piccolo would just let it slide, that he would walk away from it – and his hopes were dashed. The Namek went from calm to raging in a heartbeat.
Piccolo slammed both hands down onto the table and stretched over it until he was an arm's length from the woman's face, causing the others to flinch. His lips were curled back to reveal his fangs, more than adequately intimidating on their own, but coupled with the deadly look in his eyes…it was no wonder Chi-Chi took a step away from the table.
"You will not drag Gohan into a fight that concerns us," he hissed. "And if you keep pressing it – if it's a fight you want, I'll be more than happy to oblige." All this was said so low as to be a murmur, a voice on the wind, but the words were clear enough to all.
For a moment, Goku thought he was going to attack his wife, and he practically leapt between them. "Piccolo, no!" he gasped, staring straight into the other warrior's eyes.
At the sound of his voice Piccolo blinked. "Piccolo!" Goku exclaimed again, and the Namek dropped his gaze. Without meeting anyone else's curious eyes, he turned and strode swiftly out the door, presumably acutely aware of what he had so nearly done.
Goku heaved a sigh of relief, and behind him Chi-Chi did the same. It wasn't what Piccolo had said that worried him, but the chilling voice he'd said it in. That, and the look in his eyes wasn't right. He had not looked that murderous since the last Budokai.
Wait a second, Goku thought, frowning. The look in his eyes. What was so different about them? What was it? He mulled over the idea for only a few seconds before the cold realization struck him, and when it did he felt a sense of dread down in the pit of his stomach.
His eyes, before he had dropped his gaze, had been red.
Goku's own eyes widened, and he scurried out the door after the Namek.
* * * * *
All right, so maybe this wasn't out after the weekend. You have the right to yell at me for it, at least this once.
Thanks for sticking with it.
~Dreamwraith