Blending In
5



Carol finally left, turning the apartment into a vault of silence. Tonkeshin never thought he'd get rid of her. Especially after the little face touching incident the night before. Fortunately for him a good night's sleep let him clear his head.
Tonk, now wearing nothing but his silk boxers, slid into the splits on his living room floor. Stretching first his legs, then his sides and finally his shoulders and arms. He focused on each muscle group at a time, and finished up by rolling into a handstand. He flipped onto his feet and cracked his neck. Nail always told him a good stretch would keep his body loose, limber and open to channel his power. Getting his body limber wasn't the most pleasant experience either. . .
"Nail! That hurts!" the young Namek's voice cried.
Nail's hands remained firm around his ankle and behind his knee, pushing his leg down towards his chest. "It is necessary to prepare your body for training. Your muscles must be loose if you ever want to move smoothly in battle."
Tonkeshin winced again. He wondered if this pain would ever end, or if he'd have to endure this torture for the rest of his life. He wished his leg would hurry up and break off so the agony would stop. "Will it always hurt?"
"No, it'll hurt less and less each time." Nail eased Tonkeshin's leg down and began on the other. His voice indicated a smile, "You will soon be able to kick higher than your head without a thought. Don't worry, Tonkeshin, I wouldn't teach you anything I didn't think you could do. But always remember. . .stretch before you train and you will become faster, stronger and feel better afterwards. Do you understand?"
"Yes."
"Yes. . ." Tonkeshin snapped back to the present and threw a swift kick that swung higher than his head. A smile curled his mouth upwards.
The phone rang, snapping him from his reverie. Tonk padded over and lazily picked up the cordless object. "Hello?"
Greg's voice exploded from the other end, "You let Carol stay at your place?! What is the matter with you?"
Tonk raised a prominent brow. "What do you mean? Her house practically burned down, she had no place to sleep!"
"Well I drove by her house to see if she needed help with anything. The roof was barely even burned, and only over the garage. What sob story did she tell you?"
"Um," He walked towards the fridge and trailed the cold stainless steel door until he found the handle. Yanking it open, he rummaged around for something other than water. For some odd reason he craved lemon flavored iced tea. "She said something about how the whole roof burned and the firemen wouldn't let her in to save her valuables until this morning. And that she lost a lot of important stuff. Anyway, Carol's gone, she left before I got up. Why?"
Swishing sounds from Greg's end. A scuffing noise often made when someone switched the phone to the other ear. He lowered his voice, "Carol came in to work today saying you gave her the cold shoulder."
"What?!"
"Dude, what happened over there?"
It took Tonkeshin nearly a minute to collect his thoughts. He closed his fingers around the bottled tea he wanted and slammed the fridge door. Popping the lid, he took a sip and plunked the bottle down on the counter. "Nothing kissy-kissy happened, if that's what you mean. She watched me fold out my couch and fix it up for her. Then she put her hand on my face. . . I didn't like it, so I stood up and said g'night. I didn't do anything to her that I know of."
"She thinks you blew her off." Greg snickered, "Tonk, she wants in your pants."
"I don't have anything in my pants."
More laughing, "No, no, no. . .she wants to have sex with you!"
Tonkeshin fell over backwards with his feet in the air, laughing hysterically. He laughed so hard he dropped the phone and had to grope for it when he came back to his senses. Wiping tears from his eyes, he asked, "W-why does Carol want to mate with me? Doesn't she know I have nothing of interest in my pants?"
"Apparently not." Something creaked in the background. "Listen, she pulled this act on Kreemin, too. I'm warning you, Tonk, Carol Folgers seems to be a typical slut. She'll do anything to get in bed with a guy she gets infatuated with."
"Lovely. Maybe I should let her find out I don't have what she wants. That would scare her off."
Greg guffawed, "Yeah, right! Hey, have you started training yet?"
Tonk gripped the phone tighter, "I was just doing my stretches when you called. Is it still rainy outside? I haven't checked yet."
"Misty, but the sun should be out this afternoon."
"Hm, okay." He licked his lips, "Man, I can't believe Carol would turn out to be so twisted. She was always so nice to me. Hey, what does she look like anyway? All I know is she has blonde hair. . .as if that means anything."
"Oh she's a bombshell. Always showing off her cleavage and legs and wearing tight clothes. Geez, it's always the really pretty ones." Greg exhaled noisily, "I have a feeling Carol thinks she can get any man she wants. Just be careful around her. Now that she knows where you live. . .well, just keep your important stuff locked up or hidden. Don't be surprised if she knocks on your door again."
Tonk picked up his iced tea and swallowed a few mouthfuls. "Well, I just won't let her in. Besides, I'm a lot stronger than she is. If she tries anything, I can stop her."
"Mmhmm, sure. You always freeze around girls. Remember Brandi in high school? You stood there like an idiot when she gave you a hug and grabbed your ass at the Halloween dance."
"Don't remind me of that, okay? Females are a weird species."
More snickering, "Boy is that true, but don't let my wife hear you say that." Greg clicked a pen in the background. "Well I'm gonna let you go now. I've still got work to do. Be careful if you go jogging. The sidewalks are a tad slippery."
"Yeah, thanks." Tonkeshin finished his tea. He shoved the empty bottle into the trash chute near the fridge, "Talk to you later."
"Sure. Bye."
"Bye."
Tonk hung up the phone and rubbed a hand over his bald head. His lips twisted sideways. Upset didn't begin to describe how he felt. Carol had always been such a nice person until last night. How could he miss the twisted individual hidden behind that kind voice and pleasant hand cream?
He shook his head, making his antennae sway. There were more important things to worry about. Like training.
Tonkeshin exited the kitchen and entered his bedroom. He tossed the clothes from last night into the laundry basket. Then he reached for one of two lycra tracksuits he kept tucked away on the far side of his closet. Tonkeshin sniffed the material, making sure it was clean before he stepped into the pants and pulled the shirt over his head.
Shoes were last to be donned. Tonk laced them quickly and stood up.
"Now. . .I can finally get started."

Wet grains crunched under Tonkeshin's shoes as he jogged across the beach. He kept his cane held out ahead, the tip just skimming the sand. He also made sure he did his run near the water, away from where people might set up their towels. It was still chilly out and he wasn't sure if the sun had come out yet or not, so he figured he'd take the safest route.
Getting to the beach was almost a total nightmare. Like Tonk feared, voices wafted out from all directions to wish him good luck or tell him he was brave. He remained polite by giving a smile or a nod. Otherwise he didn't say much.
Tonk must've cruised up and down the two mile stretch of beach twenty times. He was coming for another pass when he heard voices up ahead. He slowed to a walk and listened more closely.
"Hah! You're getting slow!"
"Shut up, Trunks!"
"Make me."
"Just you wait! Hiyaaaaaaaaaaaaaah!"
Two sets of feet scraped around in the sand. A thud as someone fell. The familiar swish of an aura erupting. But these auras had a different sound, almost like a looped, high-speed recording of wet shoes creaking as someone walked. They also felt warmer, stronger than normal auras. Tonkeshin's brow knit as he let this mystery tumble through his mind.
At least he knew the identities of the two sparring. He remembered their voices from the last time they met. Goten and Trunks, the two teenagers with the volleyball.
Tonk probably stood there for almost ten minutes straight before the two teenagers finally noticed his presence.
"Hey, nice to see you again," Goten jogged away from Trunks, "I saw you on the news last night. You're famous!"
Heat gathered in Tonkeshin's cheeks. He faced Goten's voice and nodded, smiling, "Yeah, but the reporter focused on all the wrong details. I guess that's all they're interested in right now."
"That reporter was stupid. My mom said she wore way too much makeup." Trunks joined in, suddenly closer.
"Oh is that so? I didn't notice," snickered Tonkeshin.
Trunks scuffed his feet in the wet sand, making a grinding noise. "Yup. Even Piccolo and Dende saw it. They were over at my place because we were having my sister's birthday party and - "
Goten burst in, "Hey! Why don't we take Tonkeshin up to meet Piccolo and Dende right now?"
Now it was Tonkeshin's turn to feel like an excited little kid. His antennae twitched, "I would love to see Dende again, and I'm excited to meet this Piccolo."
"Piccolo takes some getting used to. He's not really a people person. But he's cool." Trunks stopped scuffing his shoe and faced a different direction, "You can fly, right? We've gotta fly to get to them."
Goten just snickered.
"Huh? Of course I can fly," Tonkeshin frowned, feeling slightly insulted. He folded his long cane and shoved it into his pocket. "I just don't fly alone because I'd get horribly lost. All I need is to follow your powers."
"Okay, we'll lead you and bring you back here." Goten's light voice came from a little higher up. He was probably hovering a foot off the ground, if Tonk guessed correctly.
"C'mon." Sand shifted as Trunks lifted off as well, "Ready?"
Tonkeshin took a breath and pushed his ki energy downwards. He felt the same sensation he experienced whenever he rode an elevator, only there wasn't anything under his feet. A very unnerving feeling - like floating in a void.
He squished his nerves before they turned against him. "Ready."
Trunks and Goten sped away. Tonkeshin put a fix on their power vibrations and quickly followed, the wind blowing his antennae back against his scalp.

"Okay, we're coming in for a landing," Trunks called over his shoulder.
"Gotcha." Taking his cane out of his pocket in mid-air, Tonkeshin let gravity unfold it and clutched it against his chest. By using the same air disturbance trick he demonstrated for the reporter, he got the impression of floating above something massive.
Goten came up beside him. His voice indicated a smile, "Dende's outside, looking at you. I dunno where Piccolo is. He'll probably come out later."
"Thanks for letting me know."
"No problem. See you on the ground!" Goten zipped away, calling, "Trunks and I are gonna spar, just call us when you're ready to go."
"Sure thing!"
Tonk just chuckled to himself. He stretched his cane out and descended until the tip met solid ground. Then he lowered until his feet touched down. He checked the area immediately around him. A stone planter on the left seemed to be the only obstacle in the current vicinity. He could tell by the tap of his cane that he was in a large, wide-open area.
"Tonkeshin! I don't believe this!" Came a very light, friendly tenor voice. Suddenly a hand grabbed his and pumped it up and down, "I heard about you on the news and nearly went beside myself, I thought you went back to Namek!"
Tonkeshin blinked at the voice. For some odd reason he imagined Dende still as a child, not as the man he heard speaking to him. "Dende?"
"Yes!" Dende laughed, "I'm full-grown now, in case you didn't notice."
Tonk stuck a hand out and touched the top of Dende's head. The other Namek stood about chest high to him. "Yeah, last time I saw you, you were barely half my height. Wow! It seems like only yesterday when we were chasing each other in the village. . ."
"Oh don't remind me. We were always in so much trouble, weren't we?"
Both of them chuckled out loud.
"So is it really true?" Tonkeshin took his hand off Dende's bald head and gripped his cane, "You're the planet's Guardian?"
Embarrassment crept into Dende's tone, "Yes, I am. Heh, it's kind of a long story." He changed the subject, "So you're entering the Tournament?"
"Mmhmm," Excitement bubbled up in Tonkeshin's belly. He faced Dende more fully and went on, "I got an ad for it in my email at work. . .and well, I just want to see how far I can get."
"Well, that's one way to do it. Hey, maybe I'll come down and watch." The younger Namek clicked his tongue, "Come on, let's go catch up on old times."

Tonkeshin sat cross-legged on the edge of 'The Lookout' as the others called it. His cane lay unfolded beside him, secured in place by his knee. Staring into space, he toyed with a fuzzy leaf he'd picked off one of the plants. Dende had told him quite a few stories about Cell, Garlic Jr., Babidi and Buu. He'd told Dende all about his job and the friends he'd made. All in all, it turned out to be a great day. Now he was just enjoying a moment alone to think.
A gust of wind blew the leaf from Tonkeshin's fingertips. He got the strangest feeling that someone was watching him and stood up, cane in hand.
Tonk swallowed, the sensation becoming way too unnerving for his liking. "Is someone there?"
A deep, raspy voice replied, "Yes."
Closer than he expected! Tonkeshin startled and spun towards the sound. "You must be Piccolo."
"I am," came Piccolo's stoic reply. Something made of heavy cloth flapped in the breeze. "I heard a lot about you last night."
Nervousness melted away. Tonkeshin allowed himself a half-smile and extended a hand, "Yeah, those news people are trying to paint a glorified picture of me. My life really isn't as different as they make it sound."
Piccolo's large, strong hand closed around Tonkeshin's and gave it a brief shake. Tonk breathed in slowly. To feel the leathery texture of another Namekian's skin nearly made him long for home again. He also got the strangest feeling that he knew this Namek, even though they just met.
"Well, Tonkeshin," Piccolo drew his hand back after a moment. He rumbled wordlessly and went on, "If you're entering, I'm going to enter as well. I look forward to seeing just what you can do."

Author's Note: GRIN! I've been waiting to write out Tonkeshin meeting Piccolo for a long time. My hands were literally shaking when I typed up the last few lines of this chapter. It's almost like meeting Piccolo in person, I really, really, really hope I do his character justice. Please feel free to point it out if anybody from the show starts acting OOC.

As I've been working on this fic, I've finally figured out exactly who would do Tonkeshin's voice if he was on the show. It would be the same guy that does Kenshin on Rurouni Kenshin. Carol would be voiced by Sable from the WWE(World Wrestling Entertainment), and Greg's actor would've been the dearly-departed John Candy.