A/N: Thank you Dreamlight (It's not over yet! Lol), Miroku-has-darkness, Volcanic, XZanayu, and Dreamwraith (I think those are the longest reviews I've ever gotten:-)) for the reviews!
The song below gave me the inspiration to write this chapter, I love that song!
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U2- Sometimes You Can't Make It On Your Own
Tough, you think you've got the stuff
You're telling me and anyone
You're hard enough
You don't have to put up a fight
You don't have to always be right
Let me take some of the punches
For you tonight
Listen to me now
I need to let you know
You don't have to go it alone
And it's you when I look in the mirror
And it's you when I don't pick up the phone
Sometimes you can't make it on your own
We fight all the time
You and I, that's alright
We're the same soul
I don't need, I don't need to hear you say
That if we weren't so alike
You'd like me a whole lot more
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Piccolo glared down at Kage, snorted and turned away.
Kage lifted his eyebrows in confusion as he sat down in the grass, "What? You're not gonna tell me?"
"It isn't any of your concern." Piccolo growled his good mood from earlier defiantly gone.
"Well," Kage pouted lightly then rolled his eyes and smiled, "Bulma said my meds should be ready tomorrow morning." He hesitated for a moment studying his father's… head since he had his back turned to him, "Father?" His voice came out softer than he had meant, Piccolo's ears twitched slightly, "Did you ever have problems like mine?"
"Problems? What do you mean?" Piccolo looked at Kage over his shoulder, his arms folded over his chest.
Kage furrowed his eyebrows in thought, "Did you hear the voices? The hallucinations?" He was sounding more and more childish but he couldn't help it, the whole idea that he might be crazy was frightening to him.
Piccolo turned around fully, "I've always had my father's voice in the back of my mind, after years of meditation I've learned to suppress it." It wasn't a total lie, but he didn't want a repeat of what happened last time…
"Oh." Kage nodded, his eyes dropped to the ground, "I guess…" He climbed to his feet dusting himself off, "I told Gohan I'd baby-sit for him today."
This was news to Piccolo since the last he heard Gohan had still harbored hatred for the young Namek.
"Really?" Piccolo grunted raising an eyebrow.
Kage nodded, "Yea… well Ganjo's gonna be there too," He smiled rubbing the back of his neck, "So I guess I'm just helping out. I don't know… Gohan said he didn't trust Goten anymore, something about horror movies…"
Piccolo nodded and Kage laughed lightly at himself before taking off into the sky. He was gone from sight within milliseconds his vapor trail vanishing seconds after that. Piccolo sighed softly tearing his eyes off the cloudless blue sky and to his clothes, he made a face before taking off in the opposite direction Kage had.
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"That's daddy!" Pan laughed pointing at the picture in the photo album she had dragged out. She smiled up at Ganjo from her comfortable spot on his lap, "And mommy! Mommy looks pretty in her dress, doesn' she 'Jo?"
Ganjo nodded smiling at his little sister, she had (thankfully) grown out of the 'scream and hide when you first meet someone' stage. Now whenever he came over she was always right there beside him, she had even cried when he moved out into his own apartment after living with them for a few weeks.
"Yes, she's very pretty." He said flipping the page to younger pictures of his father. Kage, who had been sitting on the couch looking at the pictures over Ganjo's shoulder, slid off the couch onto the floor to see the pictures better. Pan looked at him and giggled, "Is that you?" She asked pointing to a picture of Piccolo holding a six year old Gohan. The two were sitting in the grass under one of the many large trees in front of the Son household; Piccolo looked to be meditating while Gohan was sound asleep.
Kage shook his head, "No, that's my father."
"Must have been during a party, or something," Ganjo commented, "Or Grandpa took the picture. Grandma wouldn't have had that at all." He laughed lightly thinking of what his grandmother's reaction to the picture would have been.
Kage frowned slightly, "I can't remember my father ever holding me." He said softly thinking of how distant his father had always been towards him.
"Really?" Ganjo looked up to Kage as Pan turned the page and looked at each of the pictures quickly before flipping the page again, "I can remember a time."
Kage's eyes widened in surprise, "You can?"
"Yea," Ganjo nodded glancing down at Pan, "It was after you nearly killed you and your father," Kage's face fell, his eyes dropped to the floor at the memory; Ganjo continued, "You were still out and everyone had left the room but your father-"
Ganjo pushed the door open a crack and peered in. Kage was sleeping on the bed, his body free of bandages since Dende had healed him the best he could. Piccolo was looking out the window, his arms folded over his chest as though he were still trying to protect himself from something.
He turned suddenly looking down at his son who was starting to stir. Ganjo moved back from the door afraid that he'd be spotted, but he could still see inside. Piccolo had moved to the edge of Kage's bed, the young Namek was crying still half asleep.
"I didn't mean it." He sobbed and to Ganjo's surprise, Piccolo picked the boy up and rocked him gently in his arms until he was back asleep.
"-He told you that he was sorry, and that's when I left." Ganjo looked back up at Kage who was staring at him blankly.
"Thanks." He smiled.
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His father was back in his purple gi meditating when Kage returned home that night. Without a sound he floated up next to him, took the same cross-legged position, and closed his eyes.
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A/N: I drew a picture of Piccolo holding Kage from the scene Ganjo was talking about, I drew the picture first and it gave me the inspiration to write that part. :-P To see it visit my site-
http / www. free webs. com / orangenblackart /myart .htm (Just take out the spaces, if you still can't get to it check my profile)
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