Malice. Hate. Cruelty. Tenacity. Chaos. A need for vengeance. That was all he felt. He writhed in his confinement, kicking and hitting at anything he could touch. It was too much for one being to handle. Try as he might, though, he could not be freed. He was unable to run, hide, or scream; he could only feel.
A voice spoke to him, in his head. "This is your destiny. You must finish what I started. He did this to us. He made us do this. You must bring the self-righteous, softhearted traitor to his knees. Secure our legacy. You are born for this. Go now, my son. Avenge me."
The barrier broke.
Light blinded him. A loud scream pierced the air. Then, a deathly silence.
Sitting in the middle of a forest was a broken eggshell. A tiny infant sat inside, covered in slime and muck. He shivered, huddled in a fetal position. No one there to swaddle him. No one there to care for him, and shower him with love. A helpless baby was abandoned, orphaned in the middle of the wilderness.
The only thing there for him was a purpose: vengeance.
His eyes opened. He smirked, and stood up with ease. He broke through the rest of his shell, and walked into the forest. Here would be where he spent his days. He would build up strength, and surpass his late father. He knew all he needed to, in order to survive and thrive – all he had now was time.
Kami's days were numbered.
Piccolo flinched forward, blinking his eyes open again. The moonlight in the sky shone onto his back. He shook his head, as he grinded his teeth. It was going to be another night of being kept up by memories of the past. No matter how hard he tried to block them out, they kept coming back.
He ran a hand down his face. He wanted so desperately to move on. He had paid his dues: not just his dues, but his father's dues, as well. Why couldn't he finally have peace? He didn't know what else he could do, to make it stop.
He threw his arms down to the side, flaring his energy in one short burst. The ground was leveled beneath him, and a cloud of dust shot into the air. Debris rained down from the sky, hitting the dirt below.
He breathed heavily, as sweat clung to his forehead. Throwing a tantrum like a child was not going to make this any better. He would figure it out, in the morning. He closed his eyes, and focused within himself, beginning a meditation.
That afternoon, Goku stopped by for yet another sparring session. Piccolo had his back hunched over, and lazily blocked his blows. He barely even bothered to fight back. The sleepless nights were beginning to take their toll on his body.
The spar didn't last long before Goku took a step backwards. "You okay? You seem a little off."
Piccolo huffed. "I'm fine." He tried to take another stance. "Come at me."
Goku tilted his head to the side. "I don't think you are. When was the last time you slept?"
"That's none of your business. Unless you're going to keep fighting, you might as well leave."
"I know you're all independent and stuff, but I'm getting kind of worried about you. You sure you're doing okay out here on your own like this?"
"DAMMIT, I TOLD YOU I'M FINE!"
Piccolo lunged towards him, ready to punch Goku in his stupid face. He blocked his fist with one arm. Goku quickly crouched down and swung his leg underneath Piccolo, knocking him off of his feet. He landed on his back with a loud thud. He grimaced, as he tried to sit up, again.
"Hey. I talked to Chi-Chi, a few days ago. I told her about what we were doing, and everything." Oh great. "She said she'd forget about what happened at dinner that one time, and let you stay with us, for a while."
Piccolo shook his head. "How many times do I have to say it before it gets into that thick skull of yours? I'm fine, on my own. Stop trying to help me. I. Don't. Need. It."
Goku blinked, and he frowned. He sat down, in front of him. "My grampa used to tell me a story, when I was a kid. An old timer went out on a walk and found a baby abandoned, in the middle of a forest. Its parents weren't anywhere to be seen; they didn't even leave a note. It fought him hard, and it didn't want anything to do with him. Old-timer didn't give up, though: he didn't want to let it fend for itself. As time passed, the baby grew older and became more accepting of the old timer. But it still had that rebellion streak in him that wouldn't go away.
"Then, something really bad happened. It nearly died, but was saved by the old-timer. That must've been enough to snap him out of it. 'Cause after that, it was a good little baby and lived just as the old-timer wanted it to. They were happy living together, after that. I was thinking about that story again a couple days ago, and it made me think of you."
"I suppose I should be thankful that you've compared me to an infant."
"No, it's not that. I just… I don't like knowing that someone's out on their own while knowing I can do something about it. You don't deserve that."
Piccolo blinked, not believing what he had just heard. No one ever stuck their neck out for someone, like that: not unless they wanted to get something in return. Decades of being kissed up to by selfish masters made him cynical to these phrases.
He looked at Goku. He didn't look like he was kidding: he wasn't even sure he was capable of lying or sarcasm. Piccolo knew that he had to be genuine. If he weren't, he would have probably given up, already.
"What your dad did might have been awful, but you aren't him... You're a good person."
He closed his eyes, as Bulma's words rung in his ears. He exhaled. He wanted a better life. He wanted to put his past to rest.
Maybe this was fate pointing him in the right direction.
"Fine. I'll… come live with you."
Goku's face lit up, and he smiled. "You will?! Cool! We can go right now!" He jumped up, and called for Nimbus, who was flying down, in no time. "What made you change your mind?"
"A feeling."
"Really? Well, I'll make sure you won't regret it!"
The two flew back to Mt. Paozu, side by side. It was actually a quiet flight, this time around. Maybe Goku wasn't trying to push his luck, now that he had actually gotten Piccolo to come along with him. Piccolo's eyes drooped as they reached their destination, but he tried to stay awake as best as he could.
Thankfully, the flight ended before that happened. Piccolo landed on the ground with a graceful thud. Goku jumped off of Nimbus, but landed on his face. He quickly jumped back up, and dusted himself off.
As soon as he got back up, Chi-Chi came out, closing the door quietly behind her. She had a warm smile on her face. When she glanced at Piccolo, it faltered slightly. She and Goku looked at each other. He nodded at her, and gestured towards Piccolo. Finally, she straightened her back, and went up to him.
"So," she said. "After hearing what Goku explained to me, I am willing to give you another chance. If you learn to behave yourself and live by our rules, then you can stay here. I believe that this is fair. What about you?"
He breathed out, and nodded.
"Then I will let you stay."
"Yes!" Goku put his hands together. "Thank you so much, Chi-Chi! Can I show him where he's gonna sleep?"
"Go ahead. But keep your voices down – Gohan's asleep."
Goku covered his mouth, in embarrassment. "Sorry!" He grabbed Piccolo by his arm. "Come on," he whispered. "We fixed up an extra room, for you!" He dragged him into the house, and back into the hallway.
He quickly opened a door, and flicked on a light, inside. Goku pushed Piccolo into the room, coming in behind him. It was small, with a bed and a dresser on each end of it. To anyone else, this might have seemed bare.
To Piccolo, it was the first proper room he had ever gotten.
"I hope you like it. If you need anything, come find me or Chi-Chi."
"I think I'll manage," he said, quietly. He was still a bit taken aback, by all of this.
"Cool! Well, you know where we are! Have fun!" He ran out of the room, without another word.
Piccolo walked up to the bed, and pressed his hand on it. The mattress was soft, and springy. As he lifted his hand up, it quickly reformed its shape. He glanced around, making sure that no one was watching.
He then climbed onto it, crawling to the bed frame. He wasn't used to moving on this material and nearly fell off. However, he quickly regained his balance and kept a steady movement. He repeated his earlier test on the pillows, at the end of the bed. They were even softer than the mattress, and the fabric was incredibly pleasant to touch.
He never had a bed, before. Growing up in the wild, he would only huddle up in small caves. He hadn't even been that lucky, when he was stuck in the Dragon Ball; it was how he learned to sleep upright. This was an entirely new experience, for him.
He hadn't even been asked for a 'thank you', yet. Goku had left, before he even thought to say it.
His eyelids drooped, once again. He was more fatigued than he realized. He slowly lied down on his side, setting his head on the pillows. The mattress fitted around him, coaxing him to sleep. His mind drifted off, his eyes slid shut, and he finally succumbed to slumber.
It was the first true rest he had ever had in his life.
