In Search of Amity
Period 26: An art form
Goku hadn't let go of the torn piece of cape hours after finding it, his fingers smeared with mud from grasping it tightly, perhaps he felt it assisted in sensing the Namekian for it had such a strong connection to him. "Stop." Vegeta said holding up his hand, his eyes focused upon a rowdy bar across the street. "This may be a good place to start." He indicated and headed for the bar. "Right behind you." Goku said and began following at a steady pace, a dozen feet from the door his boot suddenly felt off balance, stopping he lifted it up to inspect its underside, and there on the blackened ground was a trail of fluid, purple fluid.
"Vegeta you might want to…" Goku began saying but looking up found the bar door swinging gently shut with Vegeta nowhere in sight. He jogged over to follow the prince, opening the door and stepping inside he ducked to avoid a flying bottle that smashed against the wall behind him. "Yeah, great place to start Vegeta." He uttered to himself, eyes searching the room for the prince, he spotted his tall, black hair amongst the crowd and gently he pushed through the cheering masses to make him way over to him.
Vegeta stood watching something out of Goku's view. "Find anything that might lead us to him, I think I found Namek blood outside on the street." He said coming to stand beside the prince, Vegeta took one look at Goku then pointed his chin toward something amongst the crowd, Goku turned to the centre of a large crowd that was lit by a large spotlight hanging overhead. His eyes widened when they fell upon Piccolo beneath it, his hands tied behind his back he was used as a punching bag by a number of aliens, each taking turns in pummelling him.
"This ones a good one wouldn't you say?" one said, high kicking Piccolo in the back of the head. "Indeed, anything we throw at it has no effect, we need to do it harder!" another shouted with his low IQ vocabulary, jabbing the Namek's bare stomach with knuckled fists. Piccolos cape and shoulder weights lay discarded a few feet away torn and blood ridden, Piccolo himself stood zombie like with no urge to fight back against the abuse, the base of his gi bottoms was also torn and his shoes gone.
A third creature, slightly taller stepped up with long skeletal fingers poised for attack toward Piccolo, then delivering a huge scratch across the Namek's cheek with his sharp eagle like claws, then stood back to watch as the openings he created closed over and healed. "Regeneration, what an art, its no wonder you Namek's are used for nothing but this around here hahahahah!" He chuckled and continued scratched Piccolos cheeks repeatedly, one side then the other trying to make them bleed constantly.
"NO stop!" Goku yelled pushing out from the crowd, he then stood planted with his feet apart and an open palm rose up in front of him, collecting a small amount of ki he concentrated it into the centre of his palm then outwards toward his fingers. "SOLAR FLARE!" he called out and a great flashing of yellow light engulfed the room, all whose eyes caught sight of it turned away in anguish. Goku ran up behind Piccolo and started untying the ropes. "You alright, why didn't you fight back they were killing you!" He exclaimed coming up on his side, lifting the Namek's arm up over his back and helped him to walk.
"You idiot Kackarot, a little warning would be helpful next time!" Vegeta shouted, rubbing his eyes frantically as he held the door open for him to guide Piccolo through. "I'm sorry but there wasn't time and you should know the value of always being on your guard." He chuckled, ecstatic that they found Piccolo had nauseated by his state. "C'mon evergreen pull your weight." Vegeta stated as he anchored Piccolos other arm over his back they dragged him out into the street. Going back by air was their safest bat, together the two saiyajins ascended into the night sky with their companion dangling securely between them.
Goten shook his head. "Jeez I miss her, miss having her next to me when I go to bed and when I wake up." He mused openly; Bra, Pan, and Savarna had fallen asleep along with Gohan, Pan sleeping with the crook of his arm. Trunks Dende, Korofi and himself remained watchful for Goku and Vegeta's return, the bar had quietened down due to the late hours. "You make marriage sound like a beautiful thing man." Trunks said with an unconvinced tone, Goten looked to him with pity. "You don't understand what it like when its with someone you truly love, its like you have no desire for anything in life anymore, because you have everything there in your arms." He explained with a passion, trying to show how truly it can change how you see the world.
Trunks shook his head still unconvinced. "Don't even try it man, there is no girl out there that I will ever settle for, they all look down on me and think they can control me." He stated leaning back against the wall behind him, Dende looked to him with confusion. "How can women look down on you, you have everything they desire, money, status, a good job and good looks." Dende said honestly and became even more confused when Trunks started laughing at him. "You think im a good looking man eh mate, hmm im starting to wonder about you." He utters, observing the Namek with a questioning stare and to this Dende frowned deeply. "I didn't mean it that way you moron and you know it!" he retaliated.
Trunks laughed harder but forces a serious tone. "C'mon you know im just stirring you, I know you didn't mean it like that or you would not be on this trip with me." He says honestly, trying to demonstrate that he meant nothing by it. Korofi observed that Gohan and Pan looked much alike, concluding that they were father and daughter, seeing the similarities he saw between Trunks and Bra, obviously brother and sister, but Savarna was along and of course Piccolo was her adoptive father.
"Tell me, where are Savarnas parents?" He asked leaning his question toward Dende, whom looked over to Savarna for a moment before answering. "She has none." Being brief, Korofi found this unsatisfactory as an answer to his question. "Ah, but how did she come to be with Piccolo as her father?" he asked awaiting Dendes answer with a casual glare. Dende inhaled a breath and observed her again, she slept without peace and he could see it in her facial expressions, her forehead would crease and lips formed a frown.
"She was orphaned at a very young age, when she was brought to the lookout my assistant Popo cared for her like a father, but then she turned five Piccolo took over the responsibility til this day." He explained in depth, hoping it would be enough but if it were up to him, he would tell Korofi to mind his own business. "So Piccolo sensed she was in need and searched her out, such a noble act." Korofi concluding, nodding to indicate he understood the whole story.
Dende shook his head gently. "No, it was I." He revealed as he watched her slumbering beside Pan with a thin blue blanket lying over her frail frame. "I sensed she was in need one night, I demanded that she be brought to the lookout, Piccolo refused so I went and found her myself and Piccolo followed me." He elaborated and for the first time in many years, he took pride in having done such an act on her behalf.
Korofi eyed Dendes profile curiously and could not help smiling admirably, feeling a great respect toward him for his act of good will, something he had not seen in a very long time. "You know, I take back what I said about all those other Namek's wanting to be guardian, I think no other has the one qualification that is most important…" He said and Dende motioned his left pupil toward him, waiting to hear the rest of his statement. "Tolerance for the different..." Korofi revealed.
Goku and Vegeta carried Piccolo through the skies at a steady pace; the pollution also made it more difficult, Piccolo was unable to hold down his stomach fluids due to the constant punching of his abdomen earlier. "Jesus how much more can there possibly be in there!" Vegeta said trying to avoid bile as it flew out, Goku kept one eye on the path ahead and one on the Namek, who was gradually retaining his composure and even uttering a few words. "Where, where are we?" He uttered through a slack jaw. "We are on our way to the others, now tell us what happened after the ship landed, why did you disappear?" Goku asked looking at the Namek's profile, his eyes were squinting shut from pain and he was clearly trying to hold down another batch of the sticky, green bile.
"I don't, all I remember was glass then a dark street." He answered gradually with his head hanging down limply. "The street you remember was before or after you hit it." Vegeta asked sarcastically with a smirk. "…Fuck you." Piccolo mumbled with force, Goku shot Vegeta a displeased look. "This isn't your chance to push his buttons, now help me land I can see the Mole Hole below." Goku ordered, together the pair descended gently to the alleyway, bringing their feet down from behind them they landed on them softly in the shallow water, splashing through it they dragged Piccolo to the door.
Korofi had left not long after his conversation with Dende, saying he's goodbyes to those who were still awake and sending his regards to those who slept. Gohan's eyes fluttered open gently and he stared at the uneven grey ceiling, he felt his fathers presents closing in toward them, raising to a sitting position he gently pushed Pan away to as not to awaken her. "Dads back guys, I sense hes not to too far away." He whispered and gradually stood up; Trunks glanced around also sensing his father coming in closer to their location. "Yeah my dads here too, maybe they have some bad news cause I cant sense Piccolo with them." He voiced with hopeful despair upon his face.
"There I see them and they have Piccolo!" Gohan shouted, stepping gently between the girls laying on the ground he went to assist them, he could see from here that something was terribly wrong with his mentor. The girls heard Gohan's shouting and awoke hesitantly. "Mmm what's going on?" Bra mused sleepily, rubbing her eye with her fist. "They found Piccolo." Trunks said as he stepped over and between them, Savarnas sat up abruptly and followed Trunks to find her father beaten, haggard and exhausted. "Dad, dad!" she exclaimed jumping up and hugging the great Namek around his neck. "No Savarna he's very weak." Goku warned and gently pried her aside, and then he and Vegeta set the Namek down against the wall with his legs straightened out.
"What happened to him?" Goten asked coming to the Namek's side, Dende also approached and placed his hand over Piccolos forehead with his fingers spread apart. "He's alright physically, I think the battle is going on in his mind, his head is emitting a great deal of mental energy." Dende diagnosed in a calm manner. "You have to do something, heal him." Savarna urged coming in closer to Piccolos side, placing her hand on his shoulder with concern. "I cant it wont do any good, he's the only one who can sort out what's going on up there, all I can do is console him through anything, but he isn't opening up about what's going on, he's not saying what he's thinking." Dende explained trying to sound rational and Savarnas head hung hopelessly, she knew Dende would not hold back unless he really could not help.
"We have other things to consider right now, those thugs using him as a punching bag are heavy's here, and they aren't going to just let this go." Vegeta warned as he stood observing the attention on Piccolo, Goku turned to him. "Were going to have to leave here as soon as possible, any way of knowing when or if the ship is ready?" He asked, hopeful that the response would be good. "Why what happened?" Gohan asked with eyebrows knitted together. Goku pressed his lips together. "I had to take some measures to get him, wasn't pleasant." Goku responded and started picking the Namek up as before, slinging the Namek's arm over his back. "You know what I don't want to know." Gohan added and then assisted them.
"It has been over 10 hours, there is a 40 chance that it has all been repaired and ready to go, we need to check that ourselves because they wont come and tell us." Vegeta explained as everyone started leaving, pushing through the crowd gently so to not cause a stir, reaching the door without hassle they commenced up the stairway. "Ill check ahead and make sure its all clear." Trunks volunteered, his hand placed gently over his sword lying against his right hip.
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