Author's Comments – Hey guys! Chapter 2 out in no time, I know. ;; But it might not be this quick every time, ahehehe. I've just been in hardcore writing mode lately. Anyway, I hope everyone is enjoying the fic so far, and I want to make a point of saying a big 'thank you' to TriRedEye for the review!! Knowing that there are people out there who are reading and liking my story really helps motivate me to get more chapters up as soon as I can.

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Chapter 2 – Perceptions

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Piccolo shook his head, his arms crossed across his chest. Gohan had just explained the situation to him, and what a situation it was. Zoa was being held captive by someone claiming to be the 'son' of Cell. And he was making a point to hide his energy in order to not give away his location.

Gohan paced back and forth fretfully in front of the tall Namek. Piccolo sympathized with the boy's concern; Zoa had been staying at the Lookout Point since her father was killed, and Piccolo had taken it upon himself to train the young girl. She had a lot of potential, another non-human, and she was a dedicated pupil. Piccolo and the others had become very fond of this girl, so fun loving despite the hardships she had seen. She had adapted well, and in no time it was like she had always been with them.

"Do you think this guy is really Cell's son!?" Gohan spouted suddenly, interrupting Piccolo's thoughts. "I mean, what does that mean anyway? Not like the small Cells we fought during the Cell Games?"

"No…" Piccolo spoke slowly, "I don't think so. They seemed more like mindless clones."

"Well then, what the heck do you suppose he means? He said clearly that Cell was his 'father'."

Piccolo considered things a bit longer. "Well, the only thing I can think of is that Cell was capable of reproducing on a more literal level. When, or how, I have no clue. I guess we can't really be sure until you find this guy."

Gohan stopped his nervous gait and let out a deep breath. "Well, do you think this guy is really strong? Maybe Zoa can take him out."

Shaking his head, Piccolo responded. "No, definitely not. I can think of no reason this guy would be an imposter. He only wants to fight you, and he's giving you time to prepare. Also, he knows you killed Cell. My guess is that he really does have some connection. He's most likely who he says he is. And that means he's most likely very powerful. And Zoa is skilled, but she's still just learning how to use ki. And I'm guessing he's already thought to threaten her to hide her ki anyway, so that we can't find her. There's no way she could stand up to someone like that, she wouldn't last a minute. And either way, if that were the case, she would have destroyed the guy and come back by now."

Realizing how right Piccolo was, Gohan sighed heavily, and looked up at his old mentor with pleading eyes. "Then what should I do…?"

"What else can you do?" Piccolo asked, matter-of-factly. "Train. You need to warm up a bit; it's been a long time since you've had to fight anyone. If this guy's power level is the same as Cell's, you should theoretically be able to defeat him."

Gohan nodded somberly. But he would have to wait a week to go help Zoa...

"I guess I could go talk to Bulma tomorrow, maybe do some training in their gravity room. I could come up with some kind of excuse… As long as she would promise not to tell my mom I'm interested in training…" Gohan cringed at the thought, letting out a tired groan.

"You could always train in the Time Chamber as well." Piccolo suggested, nodding towards the palace."

Gohan shrugged, shaking his head slightly. "Well… I don't think THAT'S necessary. Like you said, I should be able to beat this guy no problem. I think a week will be enough time to get ready." He paused, smiling warmly at Piccolo. "Thanks Piccolo, I'm really lucky I had you to talk to about this."

Piccolo smiled back, placing a heavy hand on Gohan's shoulder. "No problem kid, now go home and get some sleep. Your mother will kill you if you're gone too long."

Nodding, Gohan waved as he dove off the side of the large platform, heading for home. Piccolo started blankly at the sky in quiet contemplation. He looked up as Dende appeared from inside the palace, and quietly walked up to him.

"Was that Gohan just now?"

Piccolo nodded.

"I wish he hadn't left so soon. Mister Popo just made some brownies."

Piccolo shrugged as he and Dende headed back inside. "Well, it's pretty late, and he had to be heading back. Maybe next time."

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Zoa yawned, opening her eyes slowly as the bright daylight seeped in. Sitting up groggily, she coughed and looked around, but C was no where to be seen. She frowned, getting up slowly, and taking a second glance to make sure. If he was gone… this might be her chance.

Without warning, she took off running, struggling to push enough energy under herself to take flight. She lifted off, bracing herself against the wind. However, her short trip was interrupted quite abruptly as a strong arm hit her in the gut and pulled her back.

"Going somewhere, are we?"

She groaned, struggling to catch her breath as he had almost knocked the wind right out of her. He pulled her towards him, gripping her left arm tightly, and bringing them both back towards the ground. Once there, he tossed her roughly back towards the small camp. She hit the dirt, and stirring up some dust as her body skidded along the ground a ways before coming to a stop.

"Ouch…" She dusted herself off before looking up at him angrily. "That's not how you're supposed to treat a lady…"

He gave her a brazen look, then shrugged innocently. "I told you to stay around the camp. You were trying to escape. So, I stopped you. Not to mention that I ALSO told you to suppress your ki! Or did you forget?!"

She muttered to herself, getting up and walking back towards the remains of the fire from the previous night. She plopped herself down on the ground and picked up a nearby stick, poking it into the charred ashes.

"It's pretty boring around here though. What do you expect me to do for the next 6 days?"

He walked up, leaning against the nearby cliff face, and crossed his arms. "I expect you to sit quietly and behave so that I'm not forced to bring you bodily harm."

She dramatically brought the stick up towards her, and pushed it against her chest. "Awww, that hurts C, right here. You're so harsh."

He let out an irritated breath and stalked over to her, leaning down and pushing his right index finger into her nose. "Yes, and remember that. Because it will hurt A LOT more if you make me angry."

She made a face at the back of his head as he got up, and then went back to poking at the fire. Periodically, she'd glance up at him as he stood, leaning against the rock, with his eyes closed. It was strange, but there was just something about him… She frowned, tossing the stick to the side.

-gurgle-

Zoa's eyes widened suddenly, as she placed her hand against her stomach. She hadn't eaten anything since yesterday morning, and through all the excitement of the past 24 hours, her hunger had subsided slightly until now. She looked up apprehensively at C. Being what he was; she assumed that he probably didn't need to eat to survive. She got up slowly, and quietly snuck towards him. He didn't open his eyes. Peering up at his face, she smiled as cutely as possible. "C…"

His eyes flashed open. They were such a deep pink, unlike anything she had seen before. They seemed to burn right through her.

"What do you want now!?"

She took a step backwards, moving one foot around in the dirt and holding her hands behind her back. "I'm hungry…"

Ugh… His eyes narrowed. He looked to his left as a small snake slithered through some brush. Extending one of his arms, he hit the snake with a quick ki shot and nodded towards it. "There."

Zoa's eyes widened as a strange look of disbelief came over her face. "A charred snake!?"

He shrugged. "It's food."

She was not impressed.

After a few minutes, he sighed heavily. "If it's not good enough, then you can do without!"

He watched as she walked away from him and slumped down to the ground, lying down and closing her eyes. It was going to be a long week…

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Zoa groaned as she woke up a second time. The extra, unnecessary sleep was leaving her feeling sluggish and awful… Not to mention still hungry.

She sat up, running one hand through her long blue hair as the other moved out behind her for support. She frowned as she felt an unusual object beneath her fingertips. Turning, she looked down to see three large apples lying on the ground. Spinning around, she looked towards C, but it was if he hadn't moved at all. He was still leaning casually against the cliff wall, eyes shut. She smiled softly. Maybe he wasn't as bad a guy as he'd like her to think he was…