Author's Comments – Finally! Here's Chapter 6. Sorry it took a little long; this week has been b-u-s-y! But I finally got it proofread and fixed up to be posted, and here it is! A bit longer then the previous chapters, even! Hope you like it:3
Oh, and I just want to mention, I've already started the next chapter as well, but being that I'll be gone on vacation for the next couple of weeks, it might not be out for a while. But hopefully I'll get it finished up and posted soon after I'm back. Just wanted to let everyone know that it might be a bit, and that I haven't just up and disappeared again. xD
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Chapter 6 - Plans
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C took a deep breath as he stopped pacing madly back and forth and dropped heavily to the ground, lying on his back and looking up at the starry night sky. He wasn't sure exactly what course of action he should take from this point on… He balled his hands into fists, squeezing his eyes tightly shut. He was still trying to get used to his newly modified body. It was apparent that this change hadn't made him any weaker, but he was still far too weak to even put a dent on that cursed Saiyan…
He sighed and sat up, weighing his options. He still wanted to get revenge… He still wanted to-
He stopped for a moment, staring down at his new clothes, tugging gently at the fabric. They had done this to him in the hopes it would help convince him to become an ally? Or rather that it would help the others to accept him as an ally. Or both. To help severe his connection with his father… He laughed. I'm already different from my father… He thought, smiling deviously as a brilliant plan leapt into his mind, I'm not as proud. I won't make his mistakes. I was hot headed and rushed into things too quickly before, but now I have another chance to get revenge. I don't care if my tactics need be under handed, or even cowardly. I'll find a way to destroy them. I'll let them think I've changed my ways and turned over a new leaf… And get stronger, learn their weaknesses, and then strike when they least expect it. Pleased with himself, his grin widened as he stood up from the ground, dusting off his pants. Letting me live was the stupidest thing that you've ever done, Son Gohan. And you're going to pay for it. You shouldn't have listened to that foolish girl.
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Zoa walked quietly through the halls of the palace, wiping some sweat from her face with a small white towel. She had just been training with Piccolo, and had wandered in to get something to drink. She stopped for a moment by the calendar, and frowned slightly. It had been about a week, and still no word from, or of, C. She stood quietly for a moment before turning and heading to the kitchen, where Mister Popo was bustling about.
"Zoa! You look tired, would you like some lemonade?" He asked with a wide smile as he saw her come in. She grinned and nodded, throwing the towel over her shoulder. "That sounds great, thank you. Piccolo really gets serious about training! But I'm glad, I want to get stronger."
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Outside, Piccolo tossed on his cape, picking his hat up off of the ground, and setting it neatly back onto his head. He stopped short as he sensed something in the distance, and turned to look off in the direction it was coming from. Dende, who had been watching the two spar before Zoa had headed inside, felt it as well, and frowned as he turned to the older Namek. "This ki… Is it-?"
"Yeah," Piccolo growled in response, "It's him. I hope his intentions are peaceful…"
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Zoa looked up and put down her glass as Dende came hurrying into the room. "What's wrong?" She began to ask, but a strange feeling of familiarity suddenly washed over her. "Is it C?" Dende nodded, gesturing for her to follow him outside. "Yes, he's just arrived. He should be outside with Piccolo now. Please come out; I don't want any fighting to start…"
The two of them rushed outside, leaving a very worried Mister Popo behind to ponder whether or not he should risk following. Zoa burst outside, quickly spotting the two men towards the edge of the palace perimeters. They seemed to be staring each other down, but no violence had yet ensued. Piccolo appeared to have just finished saying something, but Zoa couldn't hear them across the distance. He looked over his shoulder as she and Dende jogged over to where they were standing. C said nothing, shifting his weight and crossing his arms tightly across his chest, eyes looking down to study the tiles on the ground.
"There you are, Zoa." Grumbling, Piccolo gestured with his thumb to the android. "He says he's considered your proposition and might be willing to give it a try."
A bright light spread across Zoa's face and she smiled warmly. "That's great! I knew you would come around. I promise it's not so bad, being one of the good guys."
C looked up then, his eyes meeting hers, and he raised an eyebrow, cheeks flushing slightly as he looked away again. "Yeah well, I figured, 'if you can't beat them, join them', right?" He turned his eyes back to her, and pointed an index finger in her direction. "But make no mistakes; I still don't give a shit about this stupid little planet. And I don't intend to make myself into a hero."
"Just a truce, then?" Zoa tilted her head, and then nodded, still smiling wide. "That's fine! I'm just glad you decided to come back and give us a chance."
They all stood silent for a moment in agreement, before Piccolo turned to look from Zoa to C, and then back again. "…Where exactly did you plan for him to stay?" Quietly unmoving for a few more seconds, Zoa slowly looked up towards Piccolo with the cutest, most innocent smile she could muster. "Well…"
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Piccolo shook his head, rubbing two long, green fingers against his temple. "I don't know how we keep getting talked into these things…" He looked up as Mister Popo came in from the hallway, moving around to the table to clean up some dishes. Zoa, who was sitting to the right of Piccolo, put her hands behind her head, a guilty look on her face. "I'm sorry… You're all so nice to let me live here with you, and I just kind of took advantage of your kindness… But I didn't know where else he could go… And I thought he might like to stay here as well, since I'm about the only person who honestly trusts him right now."
Dende gave her a big, warm smile, waving his hand as he accepted a glass of lemonade from Mister Popo. "It's no problem! We're very happy to have you here, and I'm glad we can help out. Granted he's not going to make any trouble, we don't mind having some extra company, right Mister Popo?" Smiling as well, Mister Popo nodded. "He doesn't even need to eat, so it's not like I even have to work all that much harder, although I wouldn't have minded anyway."
Zoa looked over at Piccolo, who shrugged as he set his hands on the table. "I suppose I don't care either, as long as he doesn't cause any problems." "Thanks, you guys!" Zoa grinned, stopping to ponder for a few moments before adding, "He could even help with my training!"
Piccolo frowned as he considered this, not sure whether or not it was a good idea exactly, but before he could say anything, C, who had been in the shower, appeared from the hallway, wearing a towel and a very annoyed look. "My clothes were gone when I got out… I was wondering where they were."
"Oh!" Mister Popo looked up, "I'm sorry, they were dirty and torn, so I took them to be washed and mended." Zoa pushed away from the table and stood up from her seat. "That's okay. I, uh," She blushed as she gestured for C to follow her back down the hall. "I made something for you, in case you decided to come back." Reaching the door to her room, she quickly hurried inside, rummaging around in a dresser in the corner. C stood waiting in the doorway, looking around the room as he waited. It was rather simple; A neatly made bed in one corner, a couple of dressers, one with a mirror and a few photographs sitting atop it. He looked down suddenly as something brushed up against his leg, and saw a small black cat at his feet. The thing started purring rather loudly, nuzzling his ankle. Hearing the sound, Zoa briefly glanced over her shoulder. "Aww, how cute! That's Metatron. He seems to really like you!" She turned back suddenly to the dresser drawer, as C rolled his eyes but said nothing. "Oh, here we go…" Her search successful, Zoa turned back and rushed towards him, handing him some neatly folded clothes, which where black and green, and made out of a soft but sturdy material. She scratched her head and laughed, cheeks reddening again slightly. "I hope they fit… Piccolo taught me how, he's actually a much better seamstress then I am…"
C coughed slightly. "Thank you… I'm not used to wearing clothes yet, it's still a little strange." He turned and headed across the hall to the room which Mister Popo had quickly made up for him, closing the door behind him. Zoa went back to close the still open drawers of her dresser, stopping after she'd done so to scoop up Metatron as he followed behind her, mewing softly for attention. As she stood patting the small cat's head, Zoa began considering C's last statement, and suddenly remembered that she still hadn't told him about his armor. Setting Metatron down on her bed, she rushed quickly to go get it, hoping to surprise him when he had finished getting dressed.
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Studying himself in the mirror, C turned around and tightened his belt. The clothes fit nicely, and she had obviously chosen the colors to match those of his previous armor. He frowned, a pang of something that was probably guilt suddenly hitting him. She was anxiously awaiting my return… And she even went through the effort to make these clothes for me… He shook his head, trying to rid himself of the guilty feeling. Why does she even give a damn about me! Stupid girl… How can she trust me the way she does? She has no idea…
He let out an exasperated breath and stalked towards the door. Well, what do I care…It's her own fault for being so naïve. Exiting the room, he decided he might go outside for some air. But when he reached the kitchen area on the way, he was stopped as Zoa presented him which a large box, which was sitting beside her chair on the floor. "Hey!" She grinned, as she began opening the box. "I have something else of yours here too. I tried to tell you before you took off last time, but didn't manage to before you left."
C walked over and looked down, eyes widening as he saw what was inside. His metallic armor, no longer a part of his body, but simply separate piece of armor, lay together, fit neatly inside. He bent down and lifted up what had once been his head piece, studying it quietly. "I thought maybe you would like to have it… Although I'm not sure how it will fit now, exactly, if you ever want to wear it again sometimes."
He nodded, hoisting up the box into his arms. He wasn't really sure what to say, so simply replied, "Right." and headed off to put it in his room. As they watched him go, Dende turned to Zoa. "Nice job on the Gi! It seems Piccolo is adept to train in more then just the martial arts!" Zoa beamed proudly and looked over at Piccolo. "Yessir, he is a man-er-Namek of many talents!" Piccolo scoffed, his cheeks darkening slightly in the Namekian equivalent of a blush. "Whatever, it's not like I'm an expert or anything."
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Later that evening, Zoa excused herself and made a quick trip out to the Son house to visit Gohan and tell him the news. She arrived in good time, and knocked on the door, waiting politely to be let in. Son Chi Chi, Gohan's overprotective mother, opened the door and smiled when she saw her. "Oh, Zoa! How nice to see you; you must be here to see Gohan, come on in and I'll call him down."
"Thank you!" Zoa quietly shut the door behind her, wandering into the living room to wait as Chi Chi went to the stairwell to call Gohan downstairs. Suddenly, a head of messy black hair poked around the corner, and a small boy came tearing around the corner, calling gleefully, 'Zoa!"
Zoa laughed and knelt down as five year old Goten rushed towards her, reaching out a hand to ruffle his hair. "Hey kiddo, how's it going?" Goten grinned and hoisted up a small stuffed bear for her to see, positively beaming at the toy. "Brother got this bear for me last time he went out shopping! His name is Fuzzy!" Zoa smiled and patted the bear's head as well. "He's very cute! What a thoughtful brother, to bring you such a nice toy!"
"Aww, well I just happened to see it and think of him." Son Gohan appeared around the corner, scratching the back of his head, smiling wide. "I'm glad you came, it's been a while since we saw you. It's too bad you didn't come a bit earlier though; you could have had dinner with us."
Zoa stood up, grinning. "Oh, I actually came to tell you some good news! It looks like we have a new guest who'll be staying at Kami's Palace."
Gohan's eye's widened instantly at this. "He came back? And not to fight, or anything, but actually because he's willing to change his ways?" Zoa nodded happily, quickly filling Gohan in on all the details. Goten bounced around while the two talked, randomly playing with his toy bear as he did so. Finally, after she was finished recounting the events, Gohan crossed his arms and thought for a moment before running a hand through his hair and shrugging. "Well… maybe we have another Piccolo. But I wouldn't be too trusting of him right away… Not until he at least proves his intentions are pure…"
Waving a hand, Zoa sat down in the nearby armchair. "Yeah I know. But like you said, if anything happens, it's not like you wouldn't be able to stop him."
Unable to contain his curiosity any more, Goten piped up, "Who are you guys talkin' about?" Turning to him, Zoa pointed up towards the roof. "A new friend we made, who is also gonna' live on the Lookout Point." Goten laughed and smiled wide, nodding exuberantly. "Oh! Cool! Will I get to meet him too?"
Gohan laughed as well, hands on his hips. "We'll see, Goten. He's a bit of a serious guy. Kinda' like Piccolo, but worse. Plus, he doesn't like your big brother too much…"
Before Goten could respond, Chi Chi, who had been in the kitchen, came into the room. "Would you kids like something to drink?"
"Oh, thanks Mrs. Son, but I should really be going, it's pretty late." Zoa smiled at the two boys and added, "I can come visit again tomorrow and stay longer then, if it's okay with your mom. I just couldn't wait to tell you the news."
"Of course it's fine, dear. Oh, and Gohan, you should study some more before you go to bed."
"Okay, Mom."
Following Zoa to the door, Gohan whispered to her, "Do you think he'll want to come with you tomorrow?" His voice held a note of apprehension, as part of him couldn't help but wonder if a visit from C wouldn't just end up turning into another fight. Which was something neither of them wanted to happen, especially not when it might mean Gohan's family could get caught up in the crossfire. Zoa frowned as she whispered back, "I don't know… but I doubt it, especially with your mom and brother being here. He didn't seem too adamant to know where you were when he came back or anything, and he knows how much stronger you are then him… He's not stupid; even if he still wants to, he wouldn't try to fight you again now, when he knows he wouldn't stand any more of a chance then last time." She turned, quickly adding, "I wouldn't worry about it. I figure we should give him some more time. We don't have to introduce him to everyone right away."
Gohan nodded as she opened up the door. Turning to look past him, she bowed slightly and waved. "See you Goten, Mrs. Son. Have a good night all of you!" She patted Gohan on the shoulder before lifting off into the air, giving him a quick wave as well. "Don't study too hard!"
Laughing, he waved back, calling out 'See you tomorrow!' before she was out of earshot. Heading back inside, Gohan sighed as he headed towards the stairs, Goten bounding ahead of him, as it was almost his bed time. Moving away from the window, Chi Chi began tidying up, mentioning idly, "That Zoa is such a nice girl. When are you going to ask her out on a date?"
Almost tripping up the stairs, Gohan spun around, red cheeked. "A-a date?" Chi Chi smiled, mentioning something about how Gohan mustn't have reached 'that' age yet, but didn't say anything else. Heading back up the stairs, Gohan looked upwards to see Goten sitting on the top step, clutching tightly onto his teddy bear. "Zoa liked Fuzzy! She's cool; you should tell her to come over more often!" Gohan smiled at his brother and nodded, ushering him up towards his room. "She sure is; and we can tell her that tomorrow when she comes, how about it?" Goten grinned, and nodded back vigorously, bouncing into his room. "I'll be up to tuck you in in a minute Goten!" Chi Chi called from back downstairs in the kitchen.
In all honesty, Gohan hadn't really thought about girls or dating much at all. Zoa was definitely a very attractive young woman with a great personality, and she was a good friend whom he cared for very much; but he didn't have any experience with girls, and things like romance hadn't even really become a topic of concern for him yet. He scratched the back of his head as he let out a small sigh. And either way, he thought to himself, I think she has a bit of a fixation with a certain angst-ridden android…
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Landing gently on the hard tile floor of the Lookout Point, Zoa headed for the palace before she suddenly noticed C, sitting casually in front one of the many trees that lined the entrance way. He was watching her, eyes gleaming in the darkness. "So, I bet Gohan was thrilled to hear I'm back."
Laughing she walked over. "Man, nothing gets past you, huh?" A strange smirk came over her face as she continued, "And yeah, he was terribly excited. Wants to take you out to lunch sometime this week, if you can fit it in your schedule." C scoffed, rolling his eyes and shifting his weight a bit. "Right. Well then you'd better tell him I'm all booked up. I'm a busy guy."
She laughed some more at his comeback to her sarcasm, gesturing to the palace. "Hehe, sure thing. But hey, I think I'm going to go hit the hay. Piccolo always makes me get up early for training." Zoa paused as a memory from earlier that day suddenly came to mind. "That reminds me, I was going to ask you if you might consider training with me sometime? I know I'm still really weak, and training with me probably wouldn't benefit YOU much," she added quickly, "But I was hoping maybe you wouldn't mind."
He studied her quietly in the dark, suddenly asking, "Why are you so interested in training, anyway? You don't seem like the fighting type to me."
A strange, forlorn look suddenly passed over her face as she replied, "Well, I train because I want to get stronger. So that I can protect the people I care about. I… I'm tired of being too weak to save anyone."
For quite a while, neither of them said anything, before C finally broke the silence with, "Hmph, you should worry more about being able to protect yourself." Glancing sideways at her, he added, "Maybe I could give you a few pointers…"
Smiling, she nodded once. "Thanks. Have a good night, then." She started to head towards the palace, but stopped suddenly to say, "I really am glad that you decided to come back."
C said nothing as she went inside, crossing his arms and peering off into the sky. I wonder how glad you'd be if you knew my true intentions… He sighed, closing his eyes and putting it out of his mind. Whatever…
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Author's Notes – Just a couple quick things I want to say at the end of this chapter. First off, I want to let everyone know that there is NOT going to be a love triangle between Gohan, Zoa, and C. Zoa and Gohan's feelings for each other are, and will stay, on both sides, that of two very close friends.
The other thing I wanted to mention was a quick fact about Zoa's cat, Metatron. I named him after the angel who is often depicted as being the 'voice of God.' I just thought the idea of a cute little kitty named 'Metatron' mewing around Kami's palace was quite novel. xD