Disclaimer: Blah, blah, blah I don't own 'em...blah, blah, blah...I'm not making any money. You know what, I heard that disclaimers don't really do anything! Oh well, I'll keep putting it up here.

/lalala /- characters thoughts.

(~ lalala ~)- I wanted to add something of my own.

/~ lalala~/- character's inner voices.

Logan had stayed up all night, trying to understand what was ailing Piccolo. He couldn't believe that Piccolo had developed emphysema so quickly; it just didn't make sense! He looked over at the now peaceful form lying on the infirmary cot.

"What's wrong with you? I'm going crazy with worry- the only other time I felt like this was with."

/ Stop talking like that. What happened to her with not happen with him./ Logan berated himself for thinking so foolishly and returned to scanning through internet files, and some of Beast's old medical files. / Something has to show up!/

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

It was dark and cold. That was the extent of Piccolo's knowledge. He walked without knowing where he was going, but he felt like he had to keep walking. He didn't know what would happen if he stopped, but he didn't want to find out either.

He started to shake from the cold and his once vivid green lips turned blue. His throat felt like a block of frozen flesh; he didn't dare speak.

/ Where's the end of this thing?/

Then, as if answering his question, there was a flash of bright light that invaded his senses and forced him to his knees. When he regained composure he blinked rapidly to adjust to the light. There was a dark figure standing in front of him. The strange man bent down and cradled Piccolo close.

/ He's so warm./

Piccolo turned to see who was treating so kindly. His eyes widened and he choked out a single name.

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

"Logan."

Logan stopped immediately, eyes widening.

"Cold."

Logan jumped from his seat at the computer, and flew to the bed-side.

"You're awake!"

Piccolo never opened his eyes, but he knew who it was. He smirked, "I knew you'd be here."

Logan chuckled, "How is your throat? You should have another dose of medicine."

"No, I'm fine, I'll be fine. It is just taking a little longer than I thought to heal myself."

Logan looked at him thoughtfully; he shifted the covers and propped Piccolo up on his back. "Beast should arrive this afternoon, and then you can have a real doctor to look after you."

"I think the one I have now is good enough." Piccolo shifted to get more comfortable and tried to fall asleep.

Logan didn't know what to do. / He didn't push me away. Oh God, I can't do this! He's a guy for heaven's sake!/

/~ But you like him don't you? ~/

/ Of course I do! But.he'll think I'm disgusting./

/~ You'll never know until you ask him. ~/

/ I can't take the rejection. I just can't!/

Logan took one last look at the sleeping Namek and quickly walked out of the room, trying to get his thoughts together.

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

"I'm glad to see he is in such good health. From what you told me Charles, I figured him for dying before I got here." Beast and Professor X were walking from the infirmary where Beast had just examined Piccolo.

Professor X just smiled, "I thought as much myself, but it seems our friend has a few tricks up his sleeve." He then became very serious and stopped his wheelchair. "What can you do for him?"

Beast sighed and replied, "I don't understand what gave him such severe symptoms. It does indeed look like emphysema, but there is just no way for it to degrade his health so severely in such a short amount of time. The only way is to ask him when he gets better."

The Professor's eyes widened, "So he can speak again?"

"Oh yes, though he doesn't say much."

"How?"

"Well, from the data we have gathered over the years on various alien cultures, the Namekian race was of great scientific importance. They could heal themselves and grow back lost limbs. This was curious because most Namekians have no diseases because their advanced immune system forbids it, and yet Piccolo seems to have advanced to the higher stages of a deadly disease within, what seems like, a few days."

"Yes, I see your point. Please continue, Beast."

"Well, since the normal treatment has seemed to trigger his rapid immune system, I decided to have the treatment continue non-stop until he has fully recovered."

"Non-stop? I don't understand."

"Clearing his passageways was a vital step in helping to cure this disease by allowing the needed oxygen to go directly to the lungs. With his body being capable of healing itself and his skin acting similar to a frog's, and to a lesser degree the own human skin, it could absorb outside chemicals from the air. I just combined these two concepts and due to his physical nature I made a small necklace that has concentrated amounts of oxygen and medication in solid form."

"I applaud your level of research Beast. How long does the necklace give off this solid medication?"

"Indefinitely. I used a pressurized chamber to pack the chemicals tightly together."

" And just one more question, what would happen if he took the necklace off?"

Beast started to walk again, to his room. "I hope we never find out, but theoretically he would return to coughing and hacking up blood within a few short days, and could possibly die as a result."

The Professor watched Beast return to his room for a long needed day off, and then busied himself with the task of telling Piccolo the news.

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

Piccolo was up in his bed, staring out of the window into the courtyard when Professor X came in.

"Piccolo."

Piccolo turned to face the Professor, "Yeah?"

"I have some good news. It seems that you will be feeling better very shortly and able to start practicing again."

"And?" Piccolo knew there was something else, there always was.

The Professor wheeled over to the window and looked at the birds outside playing in the birdbath while the talked. "Do you see that necklace around your neck?"

Piccolo put his hand up to the loose, thin, white necklace that hung from his neck.

"Beast compacted your medication into that tiny necklace and if you take it off you will return to your ill state within days."

Piccolo shut his eyes and let the information sink in. "So this is my lifeline in this world."

"Yes." The Professor looked at Piccolo with a look asking forgiveness.

"Alright, just something else to live with." Piccolo acted like he was going to get out of bed when Logan walked in.

"Hey?! What do you think you're doing? Stay in bed kid!"

"Hey! I'm not a slug, I'm gonna go get some fresh air." Piccolo shoved his way past the bulky Logan and walked down the hall leading outdoors.

"He has a mind of his own."

"Yes, Logan. Not unlike someone else I know."

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

"Hey Piccolo! How are you feeling?" Kitty came running up, glad to take a break from training simulations.

"I'm fine."

"Can you tell us what happened?" Kurt had brought over the rest of the group of young X-Men.

"I'm not really sure."

"Not in the least?" Jean asked.

"Well I have a small theory, but it's probably wrong. I'm no scientist." Piccolo decided to sit down under a large willow tree and rest against its huge trunk.

"Tell us your theory. We'd love to hear it." Scott had jumped to the front and indicated that everyone should have a seat as well.

"Um, where I come from there is very little pollution. I'd say there were only ten towns on the entire planet."

"Ten towns?! Where would you go shopping?" Kitty asked mortified.

"I make my own clothes. Anyway, I suppose that coming from such a clean environment to one as wrecked as this would have minor side effects."

"Minor? You call what happened minor?" Kurt asked, shocked.

"Well, yeah."

"So, what is your world like? Tell us about it." Some random kid in the back hollered out. Now a definite crowd was forming under the willow tree Piccolo had chosen. Even some teachers had come to listen (a.k.a. Logan).

/ Oi! How many kids are in this school?/

"Well, the towns are big and full of tall buildings, but I don't normally stay in any cities."

"Where do you stay?"

"Um, I live in the desert and forest areas."

"Don't you get lonely?"

"No, I value my privacy." Piccolo was starting to get annoyed by all the questions and decided to get out of there. As he was answering the last one he stood up and flew off toward the nearest forest, or what looked like a forest.

The children and staff left on the ground sighed in disappointment. They had just started learning a little about the strange green alien and then he just took off in a huff.

"What a jerk!"

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

Logan watched Piccolo take off into the sky and started to turn away when he saw Piccolo stop dead in the air and look around.

"Hey! What is he doing?" yelled Scott, who had also seen.

"I don't know."

Piccolo shifted into what looked like a fighting stance and stared straight ahead.

"I wonder what he's looking at," Logan wondered aloud.

"Let's ask him."

Logan looked at Kurt and yelled, "No! Don-"

"HEY PICCOLO! WHATCHA LOOKIN' AT?!" Kurt yelled at the top of his lungs.

Piccolo looked down at Kurt and screamed, "All of you, get out of here quick! He's-"

Piccolo was cut off as a huge man in white and black body armor punched him across the face sending him falling straight to the earth and forming a huge crater when he landed.

The man didn't waste a second as he flew down to begin pounding the small Namek into the dirt.

"What are you kids waiting for? Get in there!" Wolverine yelled as he jumped on the huge man and began slashing at his back..

"Right!" Scott blasted the man when Wolverine was thrown off, but quickly had to run from a blast the man shot from his hands.

"What is he?!" Jean cried when she recognized the same pattern from the first attacker- Raditsu was it? He even had the same tail!

Piccolo wearily got up from the crater and took yet another fighting stance. "You must grab his tail!"

"What!?" Scott asked as he blasted the man again.

"Grab his tail! It's one of his weaknesses."

"Oh no you don't!" The man threw Rogue aside who he was currently fighting and looked at Piccolo. "You're not going to get me with that!"

"And why not?" Piccolo smirked.

"Because I'm immune to that now. But you wouldn't know now would you green bean?"

"Oh shut up Nappa! I see you've been hanging around Raditsu lately."

"Well, I've had plenty of time to prefect my skill and learn from my mistakes. However one of them wasn't killing you!" Nappa smirked when he heard the collective gasp from the X-Men team.

"That was a long time ago and I'm fully intact, no thanks to you!" Piccolo shot a ki blast that was easily reflected.

Nappa smiled evilly, eyes glowing, and began slowly walking toward the lithe Namk, "Not once I'm through with you."

*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~~*~

So whatcha think? I know I've taken too long to right this, so I figured a write a longer chapter than normal. I hope you like the villain I put in; I know some of you have been asking for one. I'd like to thank a dedicated reader, Ripley for his support throughout- THANKS! Hopefully the next chapter won't take as long as this did. Mahalo! Aloha!