Hey. In case you didn't notice, this story has a cover as drawn by your truly. I also updated A Thrilling Chase's cover to match this one. I've uploaded both onto my Tumblr, obiwanskenobi, so you can go check them out, there.
The doorbell rang. Piccolo looked up, in surprise. That was a rare noise to hear, out in the middle of nowhere. They never received visitors.
"Can you get that," Chi-Chi asked. She was preoccupied with re-stitching one of Goku's gis.
Without any groans or sighs, he stood up and went to the door.
When he opened the door, he saw a mailman standing on the other side. He was carrying a satchel over his shoulder. There was a bicycle leaning up against a tree. The mailman looked sweaty and hot, but he was still cheery and amiable. He smiled. "Hello, sir! Is this the Son residence?"
He glanced around. "Yeah."
"Great!" He reached into his satchel, and pulled out a letter. "I have a letter for a, uh, Mr. Son Goku." He handed it to him. "I was told to get it to him as quickly as possible. Thank you! Have a pleasant day, sir!" He turned around, got back onto his bike, and pedaled down the dirt road.
"You should go find Goku," Chi-Chi said. "It sounded important. Tell him to start heading home soon, while you're at it."
Piccolo nodded. He crossed through the living room, and went out the back door. He jumped into the air and flew away. He had left with Gohan, a few hours ago. He didn't even need to track his energy; he knew where he liked to fish.
Sure enough, he found him, at the nearby river. He jumped out of the water, carrying a large fish. Gohan was sitting against a tree on a blanket, playing with some random toys. Goku shook the water out of his hair, and hauled the fish over his shoulder.
Piccolo landed, nearby. Goku smiled. "Hey, Piccolo!" He walked up to him. "What are you doing here? Do you need something?"
He showed him the letter. "This came by, for you. And Chi-Chi wants you home."
Goku took the letter and looked at it. He stuck it in his pocket. "I'll read it, when we get back." He went back under the tree, and took Gohan. "Hey, could you get Gohan's toys? My hands are kind of full." Piccolo knelt down, and grabbed the blanket, with the toys inside of it.
Goku, Piccolo, and Gohan made it back home in no time. Chi-Chi went to work, preparing the fish for cooking, while Goku and Piccolo stayed in the parlor. Goku took out the letter from his pocket, and Piccolo was rocking Gohan's cradle with his foot.
"We don't get a lot of mail," Goku said, as he examined the envelope. "Wonder what it could be?" There wasn't a return address – just for the post office from where the letter was sent. He tore off one of the ends of the envelope, and pulled out a small note that was folded in half. He flattened it out on his thigh, and read it.
His eyes widened. "No way!" He leaned his face closer to the note, as he read through it multiple times. "That's awesome!"
Hearing the commotion, Chi-Chi paused in her task, and walked back into the parlor. She was wiping her hands on her apron. "What is it, Goku?"
"It's from Master Roshi! He said he wanted to bring the whole gang together at Kame House, tomorrow! He said that everyone's gonna be there!"
"Tomorrow?" She scoffed. "A bit short noticed, but I wouldn't expect anything less from that pervert…"
Goku stood up, and clasped his hands together. "Can I go, Chi-Chi? It's been too long since, I've seen the others! Pretty please?"
She sighed, and shook her head. "I don't see why not, I guess…"
Goku jumped. "Yahoo! I can't wait to see everyone, again!"
"But," she said. "You have to take Gohan with you, too."
"Okay! I was gonna ask if I could bring him along." Goku looked down at Piccolo. "You should come, too! They'd totally love you!"
Truth be told, he would have preferred to stay home with Chi-Chi. He wasn't too interested in meet any of his companions; and, of course, he was still a bit burnt by his previous public outings to feel truly comfortable. But the look on his face told him that he wouldn't take 'no' for an answer. "Sure," he said, reluctantly.
Piccolo and Goku flew off to Kame House together, the next day. Gohan was sitting in Goku's lap, while he road on Nimbus. The flight to their destination was a long one. Anytime Piccolo thought that they were getting close, another half-hour would pass by. He wished that either of them knew something like teleportation; it would cut down on the annoying flying time, to be sure.
Meanwhile, Piccolo's curiosity was getting the better of him. He was going to be walking in on a group of old friends of which he was not a part. He wanted a little bit of context, before they got there.
"So," he asked, "who is Master Roshi?"
"Oh. He was my martial arts teacher. I met him, when I was first looking for the Dragon Balls. After that was done, I went to go be his student. He's really smart; he's been around for a long time. He actually trained my grampa and Ox King, too!"
"How long until we get there?"
He looked up. "I dunno. Maybe a few more minutes? Just keep looking down. He lives in the middle of the ocean. You'll know it, when you see it!"
At least that narrowed it down, a bit. He was a little interested in knowing what this martial arts teacher was like. From the memories he and Kami shared, he knew that Earth had a number of talented martial artists. Though he may have seen stronger in his lifetime, what they lacked in power, they made up for in technique. He could see that first-hand, with Goku. Even using his full power, Goku could still manage a narrow victory, during some sparring sessions. Meeting his master might give him some insight into it.
"Hey, we're here!"
Piccolo looked down. Goku was not exaggerating, when he implied it stuck out. In the middle of the water, there was a small island. On the island, there was a modest house, with pink sidings and a white weathervane on the roof. A few seagulls circled overhead, as the waves gently rolled onto the shore and back into the sea. For a small island in the middle of the ocean, it was surprisingly tranquil.
Goku flew Nimbus towards the ground, and hopped off, holding Gohan in one arm. Piccolo landed gracefully, next to him.
"Hey, hold Gohan, for a second." Goku handed the infant to Piccolo. Gohan had fallen asleep, during the flight, and was beginning to wake up, again. Piccolo rubbed his finger against his cheek, making Gohan smile. Piccolo smirked down at him. When he looked back up, Goku had a cheesing grin on his face. Piccolo pouted, and turned his head away, getting a chuckle out of him.
Goku walked towards the house. "Hello! Anyone in there," he yelled, with a singsong tone.
Piccolo heard something drop, from inside the house, following by a pattern of sprinting footsteps. The door flew open, and two young men came running out. One of them was short, with a baldhead and six dots on his forehead. The other was taller, with long hair pulled back into a ponytail, and a scarred face. They were dressed in gis similar to the one Goku usually wore.
They perked up immediately, when they saw Goku. They shouted his name, and ran towards him, tackling him in a hug. Goku stumbled backwards, before regaining his balance. It did not take long for him to return the hug, and squeeze them both, tightly.
"It's been way too long," Goku said. "Man, how have you guys been?"
The taller man laughed. "You're one to talk, Goku. You might as well have fallen off the face of the Earth!"
"Yeah," the shorter man chimed in. "You never gave us any way to talk to you, after the last tournament. What gives?"
Goku rubbed the back of his neck, and laughed, awkwardly. "Yeah, I guess. I've just been busy."
"There's my prodigal pupil!"
An old man walked out of the house, using a walking stick. He had a long white beard and was completely balding. He was dressed in a plain t-shirt, shorts, flip-flops, and red-rimmed sunglasses.
Goku pushed past the other boys, clasped his hands, and bowed. "Master Roshi! It's an honor to see you, again."
"Goku, you've long surpassed me; you don't need to bow, anymore."
"But it's been too long. I've missed this place, a lot."
Roshi shrugged. "Don't be such a stranger, then. You don't need to wait for an invitation, you know."
"So," the shorter man said, hitting Goku on his elbow. "How have you been? Hope the married life has been treating you well."
"I've been great," he said. After a few seconds, his eyes widened and he snapped his fingers. "Right! I want to introduce you to some people!" He walked back to the other side of the island, over to where Piccolo was standing. He took Gohan back, balancing him on one of his shoulders. "Don't worry – they'll love you," he whispered, before walking them over to the others. Piccolo cringed, as he got closer, expecting the worst.
To his relief, they all focused on Gohan. They blinked and looked at the tiny infant with confused expressions.
"Hey," the tall man said. "Who's the kid?"
"Yeah, you babysitting, or something," the short man asked.
Goku chuckled, and glanced at Gohan. "He's my son."
Their jaws dropped, their eyes widened, and they went rigid, in shock. Piccolo snorted, and covered his mouth. It was comical.
Goku paid no mind to it. "Crazy, right?"
He walked closer to them, wanting to introduce his son to his friends. Gohan buried his face in his father's shoulder, as the men stared at him. In the back of his head, Piccolo couldn't help but remember that Gohan was never shy, around him. A small bit of pride bloomed in his chest, at the thought.
"Hey," Goku whispered, as he rubbed his back. "It's okay. They're not gonna hurt you."
The reassuring words must have helped, as Gohan managed to peak his head out and look at the staring strangers.
"His name is Gohan."
"Gohan, eh," Roshi said. "Named him after your old grandpa?"
"Yep! It was my idea, too."
The taller man leaned in closer to him. Gohan flinched back, slightly. "Well, he certainly takes after you, in terms of looks." Gohan continued to stare at him, unsure of what to do. The tall man put his palm out towards him. Hesitantly, he gave him a small high-five.
The short man tilted his head, to the side. "He's a little shy though, isn't he?"
"I think he gets that from Chi-Chi," Goku said.
Roshi laughed. "Well, congratulations, Goku. I honestly didn't think you had it in you!"
Piccolo rolled his eyes, at the innuendo. Goku might have been a bit thick, but he wasn't that oblivious. He shuttered, recounting the couple of nights he had to sleep outside, because of his and Chi-Chi's late-night activities.
"Oh, and there's one more person, too." Goku looked behind him, and gestured for Piccolo to step forward. He pushed back a groan, and joined the rest of the group.
"So, this is Master Roshi," he gestured at the old man. Roshi lifted his walking stick, in a hello.
"This is Krillin," he pointed at the short bald man. "He's my oldest training buddy; we were under Roshi's training, together."
Krillin waved. "Hey, what's up?"
"And this is Yamcha," he pointed at the taller man with the scars. "We met when I was first looking for the Dragon Balls. He got to join in on the training later."
"Yo," Yamcha said, with a nod. "Who are you? Haven't seen you, before."
Goku gestured towards Piccolo. "This is Piccolo. He's been living with us for a while, now."
Roshi stepped backwards, in shock. "P-PICCOLO?!" Piccolo quirked a brow. What was this old man yelling about?
Once again, Goku paid no mind to it. "Uh-huh! He's related to Kami. I invited him to stay with us, after he said he didn't have a home. Kami said it was a good idea, and I think it worked out good! Right, Piccolo?"
"Sure," he answered. He was still wondering what the old man's deal was. He was staring at him, frozen and trembling. He was more than used to the odd looks and jeers, but he was acting as if he already knew him. And, as far as he was aware, he had never seen this man in his life.
"I thought I noticed a resemblance," Krillin said, with his hands on his hips. He walked up to him. "Well, it's nice to meet you!"
Piccolo nodded. "Likewise."
"Maybe we should head inside," Yamcha said. "We can catch up in there, for a while. Right, Roshi?"
Roshi cleared his throat, trying to act natural, again. It seemed like Piccolo was the only one who noticed how strange he had started acting. "Yeah, of course. Let's do that. Come inside, please."
The men sat down around a small table, catching up on all the goings-on of their lives. Goku was hoarding most of the snacks, though no one else was shocked that he did so. Gohan was left free to crawl around the parlor, at his leisure. Piccolo still decided it was best to stay close to Goku; he didn't quite feel comfortable enough around the others to get too close to them.
"Hey," Goku said, with his mouth full. "Where's Launch? Haven't seen her since I got here."
Krillin waved his hand. "She's been gone. She went chasing after Tien Shinhan a long time ago."
Goku laughed, still with giant gobs of food in his mouth. "That sounds like her!"
"I sent her an invite, but I guess it didn't get to her, in time," Roshi said.
Yamcha scoffed. "Only 'cause it was so last minute. You're lucky my date cancelled on me, or I wouldn't have been able to come."
Krillin jabbed him with his elbow. "Still haven't tied down a girl yet, have you? I thought you'd get lucky, by now."
He sighed. "I thought so too…"
Goku swallowed his food, washing it down with a glass of water. "It's not that hard, Yamcha. Maybe you just haven't found her, yet."
"Easy for you to say. You didn't have to go looking for your wife."
He laughed, and scratched the back of his head. "I guess."
Gohan crawled over next to Yamcha. His eyes lit up, when he saw the four-star ball on his hat. "Hey, I can't believe I didn't notice that!" He picked him up and put him on his lap. Gohan looked startled, not expecting to be held by a total stranger. The infant looked a little uncomfortable. His tail was bristled slightly, and he was stiff. Piccolo ignored the urge to snatch him back, and hoped the human would take a hint.
Yamcha pointed at the hat. "Is that a Dragon Ball?"
"Yep! We went looking for it, a few weeks ago. You should have been there. It was eventful. Right, Piccolo?" Piccolo grunted, affirmatively.
"Man, that takes me back," Yamcha said. "We sure got into a lot of antics back in those days, didn't we?"
Goku laughed, taking Gohan back. Immediately, the infant seemed to relax, and his tail went limp.
Krillin took notice of it, too. "Hey, Goku," he said. His voice was a bit shaky and nervous, though he was trying to hide it. He pointed at the furry appendage. "Is that a tail?"
"Uh-huh. Just like the one I used to have. He grew it, a while ago. Cool, huh?"
This was certainly news to Piccolo. When they discovered the tail, Goku never mentioned anything about him having one. "You had a tail," he asked.
He shrugged. "Yeah. It got cut off a long time ago, though."
"So, uh," Yamcha said, awkwardly. "You didn't happen to notice any changes to him recently, have you?"
Goku titled his head. "Like what?"
"You know," Roshi said, sounding just as apprehensive as before. "Like when he sees a full moon or anything?"
Goku looked up, as he thought of an answer. "No, but we go to bed pretty early."
The three of them looked at each other, in shock and surprise. When Goku asked them why they were curious, they went back to acting natural, pretending as if their question didn't matter. Piccolo bit back a groan. Humans were terrible liars.
Still, his curiosity was still there. He had wondered why Gohan had a tail ever since it had started growing. Now, he at least knew it was genetic, but that still didn't sate his questions. Humans didn't have tails, so what made Goku different? And why were they so worked up over a full moon?
As he thought about it more, he slumped backwards. Suddenly, it started making sense. He had started piecing together all of Goku's quirks: the humungous appetite, the enthusiasm for a fight, the more-than-above-average strength, the possession of a tail, and something odd happening, during a full moon.
Goku had to be a goddamn Saiyan.
He might have scoffed at this idea before, but there were far too many similarities for it to be a coincidence. Even his appearance, with the never-growing hair, tough skin, and dark eyes, fit the bill. The only thing he was questioning now was why he never made this connection, before.
"Hey, you alright, Piccolo?" Goku shoved him, for a moment. He blinked and looked over at him. "You kind of spaced out, for a second."
Piccolo sighed. "I'll tell you, later." He'd stay quiet for now, but he might have to pry him for more information, later. He had to know if his theory was correct.
The get-together turned out to be somewhat pleasant. Piccolo chimed in a few times to comment, but he mostly listened to the others stories and conversations. The only awkwardness was the weird looks he was getting from Master Roshi. He still didn't understand what his deal was. Maybe he'd ask Goku about it, later.
As the sun was beginning to set, the group decided that it was time to start heading back to their homes.
Yamcha hugged Goku, on his way out. "Don't stay away for too long. I don't want to wait another two years to see you, again."
"I'll try not to!"
"Oh yeah," Krillin said. "Are you gonna be at the tournament? We missed you, last year."
"I don't know… I want to, but I should probably ask Chi-Chi, first. If I can, you know I'll be there!"
"That's the Goku we all love. Take care, man." Yamcha walked over to his hover car. He jumped into the driver's seat, buckled in, and drove away. Goku waved at him, as he sped over the water.
Piccolo leaned against the house, waiting for Goku to finish his tedious goodbyes. He was holding Gohan, who had fallen asleep during the get-together. Though today wasn't all that bad, he still wanted to get home sooner than later. He didn't understand why he had to stand around talking for so long; they had spent the entire afternoon catching up.
Roshi walked over to Goku. "Goku, can I speak to you for a moment, in private?"
"Sure, Master Roshi, what is it?"
"Just follow me. We can speak inside."
Piccolo rolled his eyes. If he was going to take this long, he was going to go home, without him. He was sure that Chi-Chi would understand. His impressive hearing picked up on the conversation, even when the door and windows shut.
"So, uh, Goku – how much do you know about Piccolo?"
"Well, I know he's related to Kami. And I know he's really strong."
"You don't know anything about his life? At all?"
"No, he doesn't really talk about it much. Kami never really brought him up before either, now that I think about it."
Roshi sighed. "Goku, I want you to promise me that you'll be careful, around him. He could be too much for even you to handle."
"Wait. Why would I need to handle him?"
"Trust me – there's a reason why Kami wouldn't talk of him. I pray you never have to learn that the hard way."
Piccolo's eyes widened. His heart jumped, in his chest. Was that why he was acting so strange, around him? Did he know about his past? It was impossible. It happened over a century ago. The only people alive that remembered it were Kami and Mr. Popo. It was only spoken about in vague legends, among most; the name 'Piccolo' had been lost. How could he have known? It made no sense.
"Oh…kay, but I don't see why you're so worried about it. Piccolo's a good guy!"
"If you think so. Just be careful, Goku."
Goku came back out of the house, and Piccolo tried to relax himself, again. "Hey, you ready to go, Piccolo?"
He nodded. Now, more than ever, he wanted to get back home.
