So sorry for the wait! I graduated early this month and have just been beyond busy. I'm also really sorry this is so short!
Dawn came early, and Piccolo opened his eyes, feeling rested, with his mind cleared. The boy and the kitten were still on his lap, sound asleep. Feeling thirsty, he carefully moved Gohan off him, the boy sighing, but not waking up. He then shooed the kitten off his lap and stood. The small grey tabby mewed in annoyance before jumping off the bed and following Piccolo into the kitchen. It immediately went to its water as well and began to lap it up.
"Hm... Jade? Jade? Here kitty-kitty!" Gohan's voice called from the bedroom. Jade instantly perked her head and trotted back into the bedroom. Piccolo glanced at the clock. It was far too early for the boy to be awake. He followed the kitten to the door and filled its frame with his large form. Jade was sitting on Gohan's lap, purring loudly as the boy scratched behind her ears.
"Why are you awake so early? The sun has barely come up," Piccolo said, gesturing to the window. Gohan shrugged and hung his head. Something was clearly troubling him. "Gohan. What's wrong?"
"The Lady came to me last night in a dream."
Piccolo perked up and took a step closer. "Tsuki?"
Gohan shook his head. "The Lady Gami."
"Did she say anything?"
"Beware. Beware the eyes. Mr. Piccolo, what does that mean?"
Piccolo cocked his head. "Beware the eyes. I...I don't know, kid."
"Can...Can you call on the Lady Tsuki and ask her?" Gohan asked, his eyes big.
Piccolo sighed. "I'll try, kid. I'll try. She doesn't always answer."
"I know."
"Look, go back to sleep. You have some hours yet before you need to be awake. I'll take care of this."
Gohan shook his head. "I can't sleep."
"Try, kid." He crossed over to the bed and lay pushed gently on Gohan's chest, laying him back down against the pillows. He put the kitten beside him, and then lay his hand on the boy's forehead, trying to send him a calming aura. "Sleep."
"But I'm not tired."
"Meditate for a while, and you will be soon. I'll be outside."
"You're leaving me?"
Piccolo smiled softly and ruffled the boy's hair. "Gohan, you are a Super Saiyan. The strongest being on this planet, and possibly many others. You have nothing to fear. There is nothing I can protect you from that you can't fight better. I'll be just outside your window under the tree. You have your cat beside you. Little she-devil may do a better job than me anyways. Claw the eyes out."
Gohan giggled. "So could you with your nails!" When Piccolo bent his fingers in his hair so that his nails gently scraped his scalp, he let out a playful shriek and grabbed his large hand with his own small ones. "See!"
"Yes, brat, yes. Sleep now. I will try to call upon Tsuki now," Piccolo said, removing his hand and turning to leave.
"Thank you, Mr. Piccolo."
Piccolo had sat under the tree for some time, reaching out in his mind for Tsuki, but with no response. He began to grow worried until he felt Vegeta's ki coming. Of course. Tsuki wouldn't appear with Vegeta so near. He stood, rigid as he awaited the Saiyan's arrival.
Vegeta landed softly on the long grass, facing the Namekian. "Where is the boy?" he asked. His voice sounded hollow, nowhere near as animated as it usually was.
"What's wrong with you?" Piccolo asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Presently, the boy was in danger, and everyone was suspect, including allies. If Vegeta could be called that.
Something flashed across the Saiyan's face. "Nothing!" he snapped, sounding much more like himself. His hand went to his head and he shook it.
Piccolo became suspicious instantly. "What do you want Gohan for?"
"I need a sparring partner. The gravity room is down and the blasted woman hasn't fixed it yet. The boy is the only one suitable."
Piccolo relaxed. So the Saiyan likely had a headache from a fight with Bulma. Typical. Still, he remained reserved.
Beware. Beware the eyes.
Piccolo's eyes instantly went to the Saiyan's, searching them. They stared straight back, black as night, normal, they seemed.
"What?" Vegeta hissed.
"Gohan is asleep."
"Wake him."
"I'm up!" Gohan called. The two looked to the window, where the boy waved, Jade perched on his shoulder. "Hi Vegeta! What's up?"
"Get your gi on. We are sparring."
Gohan cocked his head and looked to Piccolo, who nodded in assent. "Well okay! Just a minute! Be right out!"
"You got a cat?" Vegeta asked, snarky. "The old man has one. Damn thing tries to climb on my shoulder every now and then."
"Wasn't my idea," Piccolo snapped.
Luckily, before Vegeta could retort, Gohan came trotting out, biding Jade stay behind the door. "Where we going?"
"Desert," Piccolo answered, rising to the air. The two Saiyans followed suit, little Jade watching them from the window.
The spar started normally with the two in base form. However, with Gohan progressively besting him, Vegeta ascended to Super Saiyan rather rapidly.
And that's when it went south.
Vegeta's fist crashed into the boy's face with a ferocity that went past a spar's level. As it impacted, Gohan's eyes turned blue, and Vegeta's fist deflected. They separated and Vegeta shook his head.
And again.
And again.
And again.
And then...
"GET OUT OF MY HEAD!"
Beware. Beware the eyes.
Vegeta finally stopped shaking his head and fixed his gaze upon Gohan.
His eyes were gold.
Beware. Beware the eyes.
"Gohan, get out of there!" Piccolo shouted.
"Piccolo...what's happening? Vegeta, are you okay? Vegeta?"
Vegeta didn't answer, instead lunging for the boy, sending him on the rebound.
Tsuki, now would be a great time for you to show up!
Vegeta sent two powerful blasts in Gohan's direction, who deflected them, though it was clear to see it pained him.
"Vegeta, stop! Why are you doing this?" Gohan asked, fending off a fist.
"Gohan! Fight back! That's not Vegeta anymore!"
Vegeta whirled and fired a shot at Piccolo then, before the Saiyan turned back to the boy and attacked him again. Gohan grabbed his leg and flipped him away with a powerful thrust of his hand. Vegeta rebounded and grabbed a fistful of the boy's hair and crashed his knee into his gut. Gohan coughed harshly, blood coming from his mouth. He retaliated by jamming his elbow up into Vegeta's face, crushing his nose.
Vegeta howled in rage, releasing the boy as his nose gushed blood. Gohan shoved his forearm up into Vegeta's throat, causing him to choke. Gohan retreated several feet away, waiting for the Saiyan to make his next move.
He did not have to wait long.
Vegeta sent a large blast at the boy, which Gohan caught in his hands and pushed away, only to be barraged by another. He sent his own blast in, and the two collided like thunder, the blasts at a stand-still. One slipup would cause the other to die.
And then, finally, Tsuki made her appearance. With a flick of her hand, she sent both blasts tumbling away. She then grabbed both Piccolo and Gohan to her and clapped her hands, stopping time. Vegeta was frozen place while Gohan and Piccolo remained mobile and alert.
Except for one thing.
Vegeta's golden eyes were still able to move, glaring at the goddess. She glared straight back and made her way over to him, getting eye to eye.
"You get out of there, you meddling imbecile," she snapped. Vegeta, unable to move or say anything, merely glared at her intensely. "Amat. Now."
When Vegeta's eyes had not changed, Tsuki placed her cool hand on his forehead and whispered a few words. Slowly, the gold recessed and blue took over. Sighing, Tsuki removed her hand and turned to look at Gohan.
"Are you okay, young one?" she asked.
"Yes, Lady Tsuki, I am. What happened? What's wrong with Vegeta?"
"My brother Amat took over his mind. He made him stronger, and gave him orders he had to follow through. In essence, he no longer was Vegeta. Just Amat in a weaker form. He believed that by giving Vegeta some of his strength, he'd be able to kill you. My brother is a fool. Powerful, but a fool nonetheless."
"Last night, the Lady Gami came to me and said Beware. Beware the eyes. What did she mean?"
"Did you see Vegeta's eyes were golden? Amat has golden eyes. When he possesses someone, they inherit his eyes so that he may control and see. Amat is getting better and better about blocking me out. I had no idea this would happen. One day, he will be able to block me out completely, and then I will be blind to this world. And he will kill the boy. It's imperative, Gohan, that you stay as close to Piccolo as you can, and train. Train hard. You have immense strength. If you reach your potential, there is a chance the day will come that you can kill my brother."
"But, Lady... aren't you and your brother immortal? How will I be able to kill him?"
"You'll know in time, dear Gohan. You'll know when the time is right. Piccolo, you will continue to guard him?"
"Of course," Piccolo answered, putting his hand on Gohan's shoulder.
"What will happen to Vegeta?" Gohan asked.
"He won't remember any of this. I will take him home and he will have no recollection of this. All he'll know is he has a pounding headache."
"Tsuki, wait... if Amat was able to control Vegeta...can he control me? Can he make me turn against Gohan?" Piccolo asked in worry.
Tsuki smiled softly. "No. Despite what you may think, your heart is pure now. Your body will automatically reject Amat's dark magic."
"But Vegeta is not pure of heart?" Gohan asked sadly.
"Vegeta has been through a lot in his years, and it has left his heart bitter and cold, making him a perfect target for Amat. Don't worry, child. His heart will thaw with time and patience. And love."
"Love... do you mean with Bulma?" Gohan asked.
"Perhaps. You are no longer in jeopardy. Go home, and rest. Sleep and meditate for the rest of the day, and resume training tomorrow. Do not mention this to anyone. If asked, you were merely having a brisk spar, understood?"
"Yes, Lady."
"Good. I will take the Saiyan home now. Rest. The both of you."
And with that, she and Vegeta were gone.
Piccolo ended up carrying the exhausted Gohan home, cradled to his chest. He landed softly on the grass outside the house and opened the door, shooing Jade away with his foot. He walked into the bedroom, the kitten at his heels, and lay the boy down. Jade jumped up and curled at his side as Piccolo covered him with the blankets. Gohan's eyes drifted shut shortly after as Piccolo took his seat at the end of the bed.
"Mr. Piccolo?" Gohan said softly, eyes still closed.
"Yeah, kid?"
"If I die, will you take care of Jade for me?"
"Gohan, you aren't going to die. You hear me? I won't let anything happen to you."
"But..."
"Gohan, sleep. You are exhausted. We will cross that bridge when we get there, if we even do. Okay?
"Okay, Mr. Piccolo."