Sorry it took sooooooo looooooong! You can thank my parents for the ungodly delay XO
Violence, language, and more psychotic hormones.
Chapter 5
Waves of Truth
"Speech" 'Telepathy' Thought "Dream"
"...And that is what has happened so far."
Sofia sat back in the chair and stared at Bulma, reading her expression. In less than 15 minutes she told Bulma the slightly edited version of her "chronicle," opting for the explanation she gave to Gohan rather than the truth she had told Kami.
She had expected for the female tycoon sitting across her to go into one of her universal hysterics and verbally pounce on her over the quantum physics or the space-time continuum possibilities of her story, but instead, Bulma simply stared in awe at Sofia. After a solid 10 seconds, Bulma finally spoke.
"This all has happened in the span of 2 days?" she asked as she leaned on the table, folding her arms and resting them on the surface.
Sofia nodded her head and replied, "Well, it has actually only been a day and a half since I left my dimension and got here." She folded her arms over her chest and crossed her legs as she asked, "Do you understand why not a lot of people can know about this?"
Bulma nodded her head yes. Sofia sighed in relief and decided to finally state the reason she had come to Capsule Corp. "Well, I was wondering if you could do me a huge favor. I need a loan and...um, I was wondering—" she was cut off by Bulma.
"Of course I'll give you a loan! Anything that I can help you with you just tell me; no need to be embarrassed by it," she said in a friendly tone and gave Sofia a reassuring smile.
Sofia smiled back and said, "It's really great meeting you, Bulma. I never thought I would have the luck of hanging out with you," she paused and then said, "I give you my word that I'll pay you back in full...it's just I have no money on me and my currency is different from yours."
"How much money do you need?" asked Bulma.
"About 500 zeni," she replied, and then asked, "Oh, and do you think you could give me some capsules? I'd really appreciate it."
"Sure." Bulma got up from the table and went to her purse, which was on top of the kitchen counter. She pulled out a crisp 500-zeni bill and then walked over to a drawer that was on the corner near the counter edge. She opened the drawer and pulled out a small, blue case with the Capsule Corp. logo on it. She walked back over to the table and handed Sofia both items before sitting down in the chair across from her. 'There's 5 capsules in the case."
"Thanks Bulma," she said as she folded the zeni bill and put it in her left pocket and put the capsule case on the table. "I feel like such a moocher. I swear I'll pay you back," she humbly promised.
The blue haired genius gave her a friendly smile and said in an energetic tone, "Don't sweat it! That's what friends are for. I mean, you don't know the meaning of mooching compared to some..." Bulma rambled on without realizing that Sofia was zoning out her words.
She already considers me a friend, she thought astonished. I could never trust someone that easily...
For a long time, Sofia had gotten used to her antisocial existence, not having any type of acquaintances with anyone around her, either at school or in her neighborhood. She was always the weird girl who hung out in the corner, reading books, listening to music, isolated from the happenings around her. She found that she did not wish to be part of the general cliques that others would flock to, and at the same time, she wasn't accepted by her peers because of her individualism and "odd" sense of self.
Not surprisingly, she suffered endless amounts of ridicule and ostracism from her peers, and even her parents. They expected for her, as the first born, to act and think in the standards that they themselves had been brought up by. Unfortunately, Sofia seemed to be the complete antithesis of what her parents wanted in a daughter, except when it came to her intelligence and resourcefulness- which have played defining roles in her survival...so to speak.
From her childhood all the way to her early adolescence, she felt the psychological, emotional, and physical condemnation of being a different being with a completely original perspective of the world. For many years, she was constantly picked on and even beat up by groups of cruel and relentless peers who took joy from her misery. After suffering such humiliation, she would have to face the unsympathetic looks of her own parents who already viewed her as a disappointment. Because of this, she decided that no matter what, she would bottle up her actual emotions, store away the pain and anger so that no one would have the possibility of witnessing her flaws and weaknesses. She also built a proverbial barrier around her scarred heart and soul, so that no one could ever get close enough to ever inflict any kind of harm against her.
This contributed to the forging of her steel composure and her always-on-guard personally that sealed her real feelings away from others. She became immune to the fear and intimidation tactics she suffered on a daily basis, and learned how to challenge others to stand by their threats, showing no fear to ever having to stand up for herself. Her personal style and attitude morphed into what she is today; an emotionally tough, open-minded, sarcastic and cynical female who took painstaking effort in keeping herself away from the majority and keeping herself the unique minority.
She didn't consider anyone nearly trustworthy for her to confide and find a thing in common with, that is until she became a teenager. She formed a strong bond with Raisa, a girl her same age who at the time was as much of a loner as she was. They both had numerous things in common and even shared the same warped, sadistic, dark sense of humor. She even introduced Sofia to the vast anime genre, which completely overwhelmed her—being that she was always a prolific artist and could lose herself for hours drawing anything that interested her.
Even with this sense of solidarity, Sofia didn't consider anyone to be a friend, let alone a best friend that she could trust fully and blindly. She kept herself at a safe distance and only hinted of her past anguish whenever they spoke of such things. Although she felt this way, she always had faith that she could maybe open up a little more to the closest thing to a friend she had ever had, but this was even shattered the moment she found out Raisa was moving to the opposite side of the island. Since her move, they both kept in touch through weekly emails and once-in-a-blue-moon phone calls they would make to each other. Of course, this didn't compare to the acquaintanceship they had before, so Sofia submerged herself into what she recently had begun to hold dear: music, anime, her art and most importantly, fan fiction.
Because of that sudden shift back to her full loner status, she recently began getting the mocking, antagonistic attacks that she managed to avoid for a couple of years. The big difference this time around was that Sofia made sure that if her attitude didn't get her point across, her fists would. This caused people to back off and show her that sense of respect for a person that didn't take absolutely anything from anyone, no matter how big and menacing they might be.
Of course all of this doesn't mean that she didn't have that voice of reason everyone has or that ability to not take herself or others so seriously. She actually berates herself constantly for the often abrasive way she could come off at times and for her various flaws that would tear down the morsel of self-confidence she has. She also knows she could alienate people very quickly, but she feels like she never has to apologize for that seeing as that is the way she is and if people didn't like it they could "shove it up their ass!" as she would so eloquently put it.
But at this time, as she thought of all that had happened, she realized she enjoyed Piccolo's company, and that the feeling was probably far from being reciprocated from him. GOD, I can be such a pain in the ass! How in the hell am I going to survive in that chamber?! As soon as I walk in he'll probably kick me around like a friggin chihuahua, she mentally sighed, I should just cool it before I do something I can't come back from... like "the day my ass can't cash what my mouth puts out!" The last thing she thought amused and in a tone mocking Piccolo's gruff, baritone voice. That was a really lame line, but he's so sexy I can let it slide. Sofia paused, realizing she had zoned out her "conversation" with Bulma. She mentally cursed herself and focused back to what her host was saying.
"...I really don't know what in the world I'm going to do with that two-timing Yamcha! I swear he can be such a self-centered, idiotic baby. GRRR!" the blue haired woman fumed the end on her monologue, never realizing her guest's space adventure for the majority of the conversation.
Sofia smirked at the quintessential freak-out she had come to know well. "You shouldn't worry about that bitch Yamcha...he'll get his soon," she commented in a nonchalant way.
Bulma gave Sofia an inquisitive look as she asked, "What do you mean? Do you know something is going to happen to him?"
Sofia leaned forward and propped her elbow on the table to incline her head to the side as she said in a cryptic/amused tone, "You could say that. You could also say I know everything that's going to happen in the next 3 and a half decades here. As I told you, in my dimension I'm able to look into other dimensions and learn from them."
"Wow...that's right, you did mention that," Bulma paused, and continued, "I'd love to have that kind of knowledge."
"As would the plethora of egomaniacal opponents you people are always dealing with," Sofia quipped in a cool tone.
Bulma nodded her head thoughtfully, then asked in a semi-pleading tone, "Would it be too much to ask for a future tid-bit? I promise I'll keep it a secret."
Sofia sat back in her chair and pondered the request. After a few seconds she snapped her fingers and stated, "I'll tell you what I'll do. I will give you a little life-changing info in return for my loan, but you can't tell anyone about this."
"That's a great idea. I promise not to say a word," as she said this, Bulma leaned over the table so that she could whisper, "What's going to happen with Yamcha and me?"
"Not only are you going to dump his ass, but you're going to get with one of the finest men in history...at least in my opinion he's a sexy ass guy," answered Sofia with a genuine smile.
Bulma's expression went from wistful to elation as she jumped out of her chair and began to prance like a giddy schoolgirl. "Oh wow! How soon is this going to happen?" she asked in an excited pitch that almost mirrored her mother's.
"Really soon," replied Sofia, then continued, "Just go about your normal routine like you don't know anything specific and let everything happen, alright?"
"Yeah, whatever you say."
"Good." Sofia picked up the capsule case, got up from the table and walked over to the kitchen doorway and picked up her backpack. She opened her backpack and put the case inside, then zipped it back up. "Well…" she began as she put the backpack on, "guess I'll see you in a couple of days."
She walked over to the backdoor and turned around to face Bulma, just realizing she had forgotten something. "Oh by the way, how long has Vegeta been gone?" she asked.
Bulma brought her index finger to her chin and began to tap it in thought. "He's been gone almost as long as Goku. Why do you ask?"
"Nothing really. Just wondering," was her evasive answer. That means they both should be coming back in a couple of days. Can't wait to meet the sexy Prince of all Saiyans, she thought in a slightly excited tone, but then took a morose turn, Now I have to go outside and face the fuming Namek, she mentally huffed. "Oh geez...this should be fun," she muttered in a scoffed tone to herself.
Bulma gave her a worried look, then in a curious tone asked, "Is there something wrong?"
Sofia sighed and walked over to the window next to the backdoor. She looked out at the backyard and saw Piccolo meditating in the lotus position floating off ground 30 feet away under a tree, with his back to her. "Well, lets just say I've been very overbearing towards a certain no nonsense Namek lately, and I'm not quite sure how to handle the situation," Sofia said in a factual tone and looked over at Bulma with a lopsided smirk.
"Well does he look mad from here?" asked the Capsule Corp. heiress as she walked over to Sofia's side so she could look for herself. The first thing she noticed about the Namek in question was the dirty shoe print on the back of his cape. She stifled a giggle as she looked at Sofia and asked, "Does he know that's on his cape?"
"He has no freaking clue. I think I'll let him fly around for a while completely ignorant towards his fashion statement," Sofia snickered with an amused look on her face.
Bulma shook her head from side to side, but kept the amusement in her expression. "I really wish you the best of luck, considering that Piccolo is not the best person to mess with," she said as she walked to the counter and leaned against it with her hip.
Sofia walked over to the door and placed her hand on the doorknob in preparation for her departure. She looked towards Bulma and remarked, "As I said to Mr. Popo, I've made it my sole duty to keep the Namek on his toes. I'm not afraid or intimidated by him...but I really am worried about spending more than a nano second with him in a closed off space, let alone an entire year, seeing as we clash so much," she paused, then said with a smile, "Maybe I'll let him win the next verbal spar." She turned the doorknob and took a step out, "See yah, Bulma."
"Good luck," Bulma whispered in a goofy tone in reply, so that Piccolo couldn't hear.
"Thanks, I'm really going to need it," muttered Sofia as she stepped out and closed the door behind her.
'...all I am saying is that maybe she has a reason for her challenging attitude. After all, it's not like you have been very courteous to her.' Nail had managed to get Piccolo to cool down from Sofia's verbal attack and had been trying to initiate some sort of understanding to his stubborn counterpart.
Piccolo grunted in irritation, 'I already told you I don't give a damn about that little bitch, nor will I ever care about her! All that's important now is getting my training done and preparing for the battle with that bastard Frieza.'
'Piccolo, that is fine and all, but...are you not a little intrigued by such a fearless beauty?' asked Nail in a coy tone.
The other Namek wrinkled his nose as he bared his fangs and in a venomous tone snapped, 'What are you getting at! She doesn't intrigue me at all. I have no reason to find her at all interesting, so do me a favor and SHUT UP!'
'Hah! You are what humans call a "liar, liar, pants on fire," Piccolo. I know for a fact you're intrigued by Sofia, and that you actually enjoy her company,' stated Nail in a contradictory tone.
'Nail, I swear, if you say one more damn word I'll find a way to split from you and kick your ass all over this courtyard!' said Piccolo in an acid tone.
'Now really, Piccolo. You don't have to be so contemptuous towards me. I just think you should be truthful, that is all,' Nail said this in a condescending tone.
Before Piccolo could answer Nail's comment, he picked up the sound of the backdoor closing and the creaking of the porch stairs. It's about time that she-devil got her ass out here! He thought in a grumble. 'There will be no more of your bullshit, you understand me Nail?! Not another word!' he commanded in his gruff tone.
'Fine, fine...whatever you say,' Nail paused, then continued in a small voice, 'But you do have to admit she is very attractive and you are—'
'DAMN IT NAIL!'
'OK! Have it your way, Piccolo,' said Nail in a defeated tone.
'Feh...'
She walked down the porch stairs and started walking in Piccolo's direction, her feet making patting sounds as she walked through the thick-but-short grass. Hope this won't be as catastrophic as I expect it to be, she thought in a slightly grave tone. She caught sight of Piccolo in his godly position and tried to contain her wild thoughts, not having a lot of success.
As she got closer she couldn't help her lustful perversion get the best of her. OH LORD...how I'd like to pinch that fine ass. He could pin me to a wall any time! She took a couple of steps to the side so she could be facing him. She stared at his youthful face and couldn't help but swoon; his expression contained the trademark scowl, but for the most part he seemed to be quite peaceful. He's so gorgeous...what I wouldn't give... Before she could go on with her silent admiration over his incredible physique, Piccolo opened his eyes and set his intense onyx pools on Sofia.
"Took you long enough!" was his gruff statement as he unfolded his legs and landed on the ground, towering over her form.
She snapped herself out of her mental drool fest and put on her stone cold expression. She crossed her arms and leaned into her usual stance as she gave him a look up and down, raising her eyebrow in a provocative way.
"Hmph, I just figured you'd take the time to meditate and become one with nature or something," she said in a mocking tone. "If you're done arguing with Nail, we can go to the place where the mirror is," she said in her offhand tone.
Piccolo's expression remained stoic, but his eyes showed curiosity as he asked, "How do you know about that?"
"I know everything about you. Especially the fact that Nail is the voice of reason in that head of yours," she said and gave him a sly smirk.
He grunted as he gave her an intense stare, then said, "More like he's the nagging old lady that has to drill his opinion into my psyche."
Sofia couldn't help but chuckle at the comparison, imagining an old lady nagging Piccolo and coaching him to do something was the most humorous thing since the footprint on his cape.
"Well, we should get going..." she said and jumped into the air and started flying in the direction of Mt. Paozu, Piccolo following close behind. They flew out over the city and began ascending over the clouds.
'I don't think that was a fair description, Piccolo. Just because I give my opinion doesn't mean I'm an "old lady." If anything, I'm very helpful...' stated Nail in an un-amused tone.
'Now who's getting all bent out of shape. And didn't I tell you not to say another word?!' commented Piccolo in a snide manner.
'I believe you were referring to your not admitting you are attracted to her and living in denial that I couldn't say another word,' stated Nail nonchalantly.
'Shut the fuck up Nail,' Piccolo growled to the other Namek. When his mind went silent he turned his attention ahead and flew up besides Sofia.
She was too caught up in her own thoughts to notice he was now by her side, staring at her out of the corner of his eye. I don't know what the hell Nail's talking about. I'm not attracted to her at ALL, Piccolo thought in a tone that sounded like he was trying to convince himself. That bastard Kami knows more about what's going on than he's letting on... and she's keeping something from me too. He grunted to himself and thought sternly, Whatever it is, she has no reason to be the way she is. I've never seen anyone be that way, especially a woman. What's her damn problem...
While Piccolo continued with his internal monologue, Sofia was over-obsessing with the facts she had encountered since her arrival. It's all so much to handle. First, this necklace being destined to be mine—and it originally belonging to some demon woman from this realm's past; me being her reincarnation. She was murdered by her twin star and...I don't know how Kami could know so much, yet so little about this, she paused, then continued exasperated, maybe there's more to this whole "twin star" shit I'm not getting. To my understanding a person's twin star is their equal in many ways and they share a common bond, one that joins them to one another for eternity. The only bond the scroll mentioned that Kyouran and her twin star had was that they came into existence at the exact same time...Why would he kill her—it doesn't make any sense!
She growled in irritation and dropped the subject completely out of her mind. I'm going to have a seizure if I keep thinking about it. She realized Piccolo was by her side and occupied her now empty mind with visions of her getting beaten in every way imaginable by the menacing and calculating Namek. She mentally sighed. How am I going to survive...
She spotted the familiar forest scenery she had been walking through when she got chased by the moronic mountain lion and descended, coming to a slow stop. Piccolo did the same and waited for her to pick a direction.
She looked to her right and stated, "It should be 2 miles that way." Piccolo gave a slight nod.
They both followed the dirt road and flew over the sign that Sofia had read the address off of the day before. Two miles further down, Sofia recognized the hut she had left when she had gotten to the dimension and began descending until she was 2 feet from the ground and landed in front of the hut entrance. Piccolo landed behind her and took his cross-armed stance.
"How long is it going to take us to get back from your dimension?" was his stoic question, rumbling from behind Sofia.
She looked over her shoulder with a hint of surprise on her expression as she said, "You're coming with me? I figured you'd just wait for me here while I went."
Piccolo looked at her with his intense stare and frowned, then said in a harsh tone, "Don't be stupid. The old man said to stick together...is there some reason you don't want me to come with you?!"
She narrowed her eyes at him, scoffed, and replied, "I take your ass into consideration and you call me stupid." She turned away from him and began to walk into the hut as she said, "Lets hurry up and get this over with!"
Piccolo raised an eye ridge at her reaction, and followed her lead.
They walked past a clutter of objects and furniture, heading into the right side of the hut. They spotted the mirror and walked over to it. Sofia looked to the back of the hut where she heard the voice of the man from the day before, as he cheered on something that was on the mini TV he had in the little room he was in at the back of the store. She glanced at the screen and saw a loud, hairy guy with a huge afro prancing around ostentatiously and holding up both of his hands in the air in the peace sign.
"Hercule," she said in a low voice, recognizing Mr. Satan whom at this time was just a pro wrestler gaining popularity competing in weekly wrestling matches.
"What?" asked Piccolo in a gruff tone.
She sighed and walked over to the mirror. "Oh, nothing...just someone you'll meet later on," she replied off-handedly.
"Hmph."
She faced the mirror and looked at herself. She looked at the necklace being reflected and saw that it began to glow. Here we go, she thought excitedly. The mirror began to ripple and slowly went flat, the image of her, Piccolo, and the store fading away and revealing her bedroom. At least my creepy reflection didn't pop up. Wonder how it knows how to activate. I mean, I've been around other mirrors and it doesn't do this...she thought the last part using as a reference one of her favorite fan fics, realizing that unlike what Cyndi's necklace did, hers only caused the dimensional portal with this particular mirror. Maybe this is the only way through both the dimensions. Hm...
Piccolo grunted behind her; he never saw anything like that before. "Well, what next?" he muttered more than said.
Sofia cocked an eyebrow and stored her mental deductions for later.
"Well now we hold hands and recite poetry...what do you think we do!" she remarked in a mocking tone and smirked. Before he could say or do anything in retaliation for such a wise comment, she stepped through the mirror, causing it to ripple madly.
'You walked right into that one, Piccolo. She is quite skilled at making you look like a fool, isn't she,' said Nail in a smug tone to his now fuming counterpart.
Piccolo gritted his teeth in pure rancor. 'The both of you are really aching for me to beat you into the fucking ground!' he angrily paused. 'I swear on Kami that I will find a way to kick the shit out of you, Nail,' he snarled at the other Namek. Nail decided not to reply to Piccolo's threat and went silent.
Piccolo grumbled to himself and stepped through the mirror.
As soon as she made it to her side of the dimensional line, Sofia got a splitting migraine that caused an intense amount of pressure in the spot right between her eyes.
"Shit!" she grumbled irritably as she rubbed her index finger and thumb over the bridge of her nose, then pressed her index and middle finger against the spot that continued to throb. After some of the pressure subsided, she turned her attentions to her surroundings.
She now was in her bedroom, facing the foot of her bed. She looked over to her alarm clock on her bureau and saw that only 2hrs and 15min had gone by since she left.
"Wow, talk about lapse in—" she was cut off as Piccolo bumped into her from behind, causing her to almost trip and land on her bed. "Jeez! What the h—"
"What the hell were you doing in my way!" he replied in a harsh tone.
"Grrr, I swear you can be such—" she cut herself off when she turned around and noticed her reflection after the image of the store faded from her mirror. She looked exactly like she was still in anime, that is, she still had the features she had inherited when she'd stepped through the mirror to the other dimension. She gawked at the sight and was obviously confused by the situation.
"What's wrong with you?!" Piccolo asked in a cool tone.
Sofia looked towards him and almost fell over at the godly vision standing before her. Piccolo was now flesh and bone. She gasped as she took his appearance in. He still resembled his anime form, but with slight differences. His facial bone structure was now very detailed; high cheekbones, angular jaw, protruding eye ridges and teardrop nose now were even more alluring to her than ever, strong yet delicate features that were never really displayed in all their glory. His emerald skin was still the characteristic vivid green she had fallen in love with, and the raised pink patches lined around the edges with a thin strip of brilliant red that were his muscles rippled and looked strong, but smooth to the touch. His muscular, yet slender arms seemed to be chiseled by Da Vinci himself, containing cord-like veins and tendons that contracted and rippled under his leather-like skin as he flexed his biceps and triceps. His large hands and long, tapered fingers with pointed white nails were mesmerizing for her, seeming to be the receptacles for incredible power and at the same time the gentlest features of his body. But the defining aspects that intoxicated her just from first glance were his lips - delectably thin and slightly curved, his ears - pointed and incredibly scrumptious looking, and his eyes - still slanted and big, but not in the same manner as in his realm. His eyes were still dark from her vantage point, seeming to be the color of coal or graphite, able to cause chills to go down her spine as she lost herself in the dark pools.
OH MY GOD... she thought flabbergasted as she stared at him with wide eyes and tightened jaw. She raised her left hand, as if to caress his cheek and prove to herself what she was looking at was real. Before her fingertips could brush the skin of his cheek, Piccolo grabbed her wrist and tightened his grip.
"What the HELL are you doing?!" he growled in a menacing tone, as he glared daggers at her.
Sofia snapped herself out of her stupor, but continued to gawk at the gorgeous being in front of her. The pain of her wrist being gripped harshly by Piccolo flashed in her consciousness, and she pulled her hand out of the iron bear trap that was Piccolo's hand.
"You...look—different," was all she could gasp out, losing her composure to the point of not realizing how foolish she sounded.
Piccolo raised an eye ridge at her tone. "What do you mean? You look exactly the same," his voice showed slight confusion, but his general tone managed to mask it.
"It's just-well—look," Sofia took his forearm and turned him so he could look at himself in the mirror.
Piccolo came face to face with his somewhat altered appearance, taking a step back from the shock and emitting a choked grunt. What in the world?! he thought perplexed and studied every detail of himself.
Sofia couldn't help but let her eyes wander over his form, and try to contain her animalistic hormones for the Namek under wraps. I can't believe it...PICCOLO IS IN MY ROOM! IN THE FLESH—wow... But what's going on?! Why do I look like I'm still anime? I should be back to normal, she paused in thought as she faced the mirror and took her appearance in. The features she had acquired when she went anime were intact, everything from her slanted eyes, her golden/olive complexion, and the unique style of her hair. The only things that were still the same from before she walk through the mirror the first time were her dark brown eyes and hair, beauty mark, and petite yet hourglass-shaped figure. "What is going on..."
Piccolo looked at her. "What are you bitching about?! You're not the one who looks different here," he said this and faced her completely so he could glower down at her.
Sofia's expression remained solid as she replied, "I have a reason to bitch. I'm not supposed to look this way on my side of the mirror. I look like I'm—" she cut herself off when she realized what she was about to say.
"You look like what?" asked Piccolo in a low, gruff tone.
"I look like I'm a Bratz doll," she blurted out to cover her mistake, getting a weird look from Piccolo. "Nevermind...I'll start packing," she muttered in response and went to her bureau, where she started to look through the drawers and pick bunches of clothes out and place them on her bed. Jeez, this is so mind consuming! I almost spilled the proverbial beans about the whole anime thing! She mentally huffed. I'll just sort this out when we get back to the Lookout...can't be wasting time, she mentally stated in a stern way as she went into her backpack and got out the capsule case.
While she went upon the task of packing her things, Piccolo stood in his spot brooding over the awkward feeling he was getting from her... that is until something caught his attention. Under the wooden table where her TV was, there was a shelf with all her DBZ box sets lined in chronological order. The only reason he even noticed the box sets was because the Garlic Jr. saga was slightly sticking out, showing part of the villain's face. What the...? he looked in Sofia's direction, but she was too preoccupied with her task and her jumbled up thoughts to notice, and he finally noticed the cloth posters hanging above her bed against the windows. One was something he didn't know, but the other poster was a picture of all the Z Warriors going into battle with a dusk background. The poster included Vegeta, Goku and some other youth he didn't recognize as Super Saiyans.
'Piccolo...everyone is in that image. What is this all about?' asked Nail in a tone that showed curiosity and concern.
'I don't know, but something tells me this has something to do with whatever secret her and the old man are keeping,' Piccolo paused, then continued in a harsh tone, 'I intend to find out the truth, even if I have to beat it out of her.'
Sofia had packed all of her clothes in one of the capsules and had now proceeded to pack her boombox, and CD collection in two other capsules, completely oblivious to what Piccolo was calculating in his mind.
Piccolo went to stand behind Sofia with all intention of turning her around and questioning her until he got all the truth, but as he passed by her desk on his right, he noticed the Piccolo action figure on the surface near the edge of the desk. He picked the doll up and froze as he stared at the miniature likeness of himself. The only thing missing was the turban, but otherwise it was a spitting image of the stoic Namek. WHAT THE FUCK!?
OK. That's everything—Hm... she looked at the box the necklace had been in and picked it up. What the hell-might as well take it too. She placed the box in the capsule with her boombox and put it back in the case with the other capsules, then took her mini red plaid backpack with all her other necessities and stuck the case inside. She contentedly sighed now after finishing her task, but just realized she completely forgot about Piccolo in her haste. JESUS YOUR SUCH A FRIGGIN BAKA! she berated herself and immediately turned around.
Piccolo was 2 feet away from her staring at something in his hand, like it was some silent offender that he didn't know how to retaliate against. "Piccolo, what are you looking at?"
He now looked at her with his eyes narrowed and with a frown as he threw the object at her, which she caught in her left hand. She was now staring wide eyed at her Piccolo action figure. OH SHIT! I FORGOT ABOUT ALL THE STUFF IN MY ROOM! she shouted forlornly in her mind.
"You better tell me what is going on," he cryptically remarked as he walked over to and stood in front of her in a threatening manner. "What is all this?!" he asked aggressively as his eyes bore into her own.
She sighed loudly and looked away from him, but he grabbed her chin and pulled her face back to look into her eyes. "I asked you a question and you better give me a straight answer!" he growled more than said to her.
"Let go of me and I'll tell you," she growled back at him and narrowed her eyes. Piccolo let go of her chin and stepped back, crossing his arms over his wide chest. She sat on her bed and huffed out of her nose, trying to get her wits together as she gripped the doll in her hand and calmed herself enough to reveal the truth to Piccolo. I can't tell him. It could damage him so much to know the truth…I— her somber thought was cut off by Piccolo.
"WELL?! Spill it," he demanded in his intimidating tone, but it had no affect on Sofia.
"FINE…you'd better sit down," she stated in as cool a tone she could muster, seeing as she was nervous of how to tell him in the proper manner.
"I'll stand," he grumbled and looked down at her, waiting for her to begin.
She put the doll in her backpack and looked at Piccolo. "In my realm...you and the other Z Fighters, and your universe is..." she paused and looked down at her feet, then continued, "...All of it is a popular anime series that has been around for more than a decade." She looked up at Piccolo to read his expression; only his eyes betrayed the shock and confusion her words had caused him, and she immediately regretted telling him. "Piccolo... are y—"
"You're lying!" Piccolo uttered in a low, venom-filled tone. His expression was stone, but his eyes burned with conflicting emotions, and he turned away from Sofia with an air of disgust.
Sofia's heart jumped in her throat, and a nervous knot formed in the middle of her chest, so she looked down at the floor. His reaction was so surprising to her, and it hurt her. " I'm not...Piccolo, listen. I know this sounds like bullshit, but it's the truth," she looked towards him, continuing, "That's how I know all about you and the things that are going to happen," she paused, then continued when she didn't get a reaction from him, "Your dimension came to be when the series ended—at least that's my theory…" she still got no reaction. "Just try and understand—"
As soon as she said that last word, Piccolo turned and grabbed her upper arm and pulled her up. He tightened his grip as his dark orbs seethed with rage, looking into her dark brown spheres. Sofia winced in pain and struggled to get out of his grip.
"How dare you speak to me that way, human!" he said with acid in his tone, practically spitting the last word out. "This is just a sick game you made up! All this," he pointed to the poster and the box sets, "this is your idea of getting kicks—there's no way what you say is true!" he stated in a hiss.
"IT IS TRUE! I have no reason to do what you're accusing me of! How would I know everything else, Huh?!" she stated in a terse way, trying to hide the hurt his words were causing in her heart.
Piccolo tensed at her comment, not knowing how to prove his argument. He let go of her arm and growled deep in his chest from the rage he was containing. "What the hell am I?!" he asked in a low, seething voice.
Sofia looked into his face with confusion on her expression. His tone made it seem like he was expecting an answer, but she didn't know how to reply. This is just too much. I wish he just would of stayed behind... she thought morosely.
"I ASKED YOU A QUESTION!" he shouted after not getting an immediate reply from her. She flinched from the anger that spilled out of his voice, but still remained silent, at a complete loss. He stalked towards her, but she backed away subconsciously until she ran out of room. He grabbed her chin and harshly pulled it upwards so he could look into her face as he said, "I'm just a fucking cartoon—is that what you're thinking?! Just a fictional character made up to live a certain way, think and act in the way I was fucking written to! IS THAT ALL OF IT?!" his words were filled with intense rage, but at the same time, they had a hidden undertone of pain.
His eyes betrayed that pain, and Sofia choked on the words she had prepared to say, only able to stare into his intense midnight eyes. After a silence that felt like an eternity between them, Sofia whispered in an unreadable tone, "You're not any of that…" She placed her hand on his wrist, as he still held her chin up. Her head began to throb with the same pressure it had when she walked trough her mirror only minutes before, but she ignored it completely.
Piccolo pulled his hand away and sneered down at her. "What do you know! You're just a simple little bitch who fell through a mirror—and came into my life just to fuck it up!" he said this and gave her a hateful look, then turned away from her as he said, "You're nothing...just like me."
His words felt like knives slashing her heart, and that pain swelled up in her chest, but she swore to herself that she would not cry for anything again, not after so long...
"CALM-THE-FUCK-DOWN PICCOLO! You're obviously not just a fucking cartoon cuz you're living and breathing right in front of me," she blurted out in a voice that managed to hide her conflicting emotions.
Piccolo turned around abruptly, causing his cape to lift and do a slight swoosh noise as it came to rest behind him again. In a split second, he was in front of Sofia glowering down at her. She didn't fear him or show any signs that she did, but she did show discomfort (her migraine was increasing to ungodly proportions) and tried to get away from him, but Piccolo placed both of his arms on either side of her, boxing her in.
"I'm sick of you! You're nothing to me or to anyone for that matter—is that why you came to my realm..." Sofia's eyes went wide and she looked away from him, "that's it. No point on living your pathetic life, so you decided to fuck with other's existences," the pressure between her eyes was increasing, and so was her anger towards Piccolo.
"Get away from me!" she growled and tried to push him away, but Piccolo pressed closer to her and forced her to look into his eyes.
"Nothing about me is true. I'm just a complete lie that someone wrote to paper and drew...and that you and others watch play-out his faked existence as entertainment," he said this in a snide/harsh tone, his expression completely stoic.
"Stop it," she said in a low, venom-filled tone. She clenched her fist and shut her eyes as the migraine intensified.
"What are you going to do if I don't, human?! Just cry—cry like the weak," the heat began to rise, "insignificant—" she muttered "stop it!", but Piccolo pressed, "Or what if I don't stop! It's all true, that's why you want me to stop," he harshly cupped her face in his right hand and she opened her eyes, seeming to burn with pure rancor. "Just admit what you are, like I've—" he was cut off.
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" she shouted, and Piccolo ended up being pushed with tremendous force to the carpeted floor, only that Sofia didn't raise a finger to do so.
"OOF—" he hit the floor with a thud, causing the walls to shake.
Sofia just stared wide-eyed at what had just occurred. WHAT THE—
"Fuck!" Piccolo propped himself on his elbows and stared at Sofia. "How did you do that?!" he growled agitatedly and got up off the floor.
Sofia's expression still held surprise and confusion as she replied aloofly, "I don't know...I just wanted you to get away—that's what it was," she paused, then continued in a more excited tone, "my migraine, it must have been the power I got when I came through the mirror; TELEKINESIS! OH SHIT!"
Piccolo looked down at her with a raised eye ridge. "That's what the old man was talking about? You unlocking your untapped powers?" he asked in a gruff tone.
She nodded her head yes. She then remembered the tense atmosphere they had been in not 15 seconds before and frowned. "Piccolo, I...I'm sorry for, you know." She took a step forward and looked up into his eyes, "I didn't mean for you to find out in such a way..."
"You weren't planning on telling me at all, were you?!" he asked sternly as he crossed his arms over his chest.
She sighed, then replied in a simple tone, "No, I wasn't planning on having anyone else but Kami know about this," she looked away, "I didn't want to put anyone in this position."
"Hmph. You mean finding out you're only a character someone dreamed up, and that your life is what it is 'cause it was written that way...whatever. You didn't have to hide it from me," he said in a cool tone, causing Sofia to look back at him.
"So that whole nervous breakdown you had not even a minute ago, that's not proof that I should've handled this a little better?!" she remarked sardonically.
Piccolo merely grunted as a response, to which Sofia rolled her eyes. MY GOD! That was the most intense thing that has ever happened to me. Now it's like it didn't really happen... What could he really be feeling? she thought in a slightly worried tone.
She exhaled noisily through her nose, then took the dive by asking, "Do you really feel that way?"
Piccolo, who had been looking at her open sketchpad on top of her desk, made a confused-sounding grunt and looked at her. "Feel about what?" he muttered in a deep tone, one she had not heard him use up until that point.
She felt really embarrassed over what she was thinking, but decided it was best to get all their tension out in the open instead of brooding over it. "Do you...do you feel like you're nothing? That, I'm—" her heart jumped in her throat, she felt so ridiculous. "That I'm nothing?" her tone seemed to hold back what she truly felt, and Piccolo noticed that.
He sat on the end of her bed, giving his back to her, and sighed noisily. "I-I didn't mean what I said...about you," he whispered more to himself than to her. She looked at his wide, cape-festooned back, her heart skipping a beat.
She got on her bed and sat next to him on the edge. He was looking down at the floor, and for a moment she thought he didn't notice she was there, until he looked right at her. She sat up on her knees so she could make their heights more even, then looked into his black eyes as she said, "I don't think you're nothing." He quirked an eye ridge, so she continued, "You might have started out as a fictional character, but now you're more than that," she slightly blushed, adding, "I thought you should know that..."
Piccolo grunted and looked at his reflection in the mirror. "You don't understand what it feels like. Everything that has happened was out of my hands; nothing I did was of my own will, I was supposed to do it," he stated and clenched his fists, then looked into her eyes and frowned.
"Piccolo..." she placed her hand on his right hand, which was still clenched, and continued, "That's not true. What you're doing right now proves that not only are you real, but...you feel and you act under your own accord."
He at first recoiled from her close contact, but when he heard her words, it was as if something had changed; she was so different from everything and everyone else, and this interested him and even enticed him to try and understand her. He opened his hand and accepted hers, then closed it.
She was taken aback by his action; looked into his eyes, slightly smiled, and squeezed his hand. Piccolo grunted deep within his chest, so it sounded kind of like a purr to her. He was looking into her eyes, trying to find any trace of malice or hidden intent by her part, but realized that she didn't have any hidden intentions against him; that she meant the comforting gestures she showed towards him. I guess she's not so bad... he thought simply as he continued to stare into her dark chocolate eyes.
Sofia kept her expression leveled but could not help swoon, inwardly of course. His hand is so smooth and warm... I really do love this sexy Namek! He can be so gentle when he wants to... I guess the same can be said for me. After staring into each other's eyes for what seemed like hours, and analyzing the other's facial features, Sofia decided to break the spell. She felt that if she didn't, her hormones would kick in and cause her to act in a VERY un-ladylike fashion.
She smirked at him, and then said in a goofy tone, "Well...since that's all cleared up, wanna hug or something?!"
Piccolo snorted and got up from her bed, letting go of her hand. "You're really weird, you know that?" he remarked with slight amusement in his tone, then smirked.
"IIII KNOOOOW," she said in a goofy sing-song tone, got off her bed and looked up at him. Such a Yummy Namek! she thought in a mischievous manner. "I packed all my stuff, but before we go I have to take care of some things," she stated in her calm/cool voice.
Piccolo rolled his eyes and in a grumble said, "Fine, but don't take your sweet-ass time."
"Hmph, alright Namek! No need to get impatient," she remarked as she walked over to her door, opened it, and walked out leaving Piccolo to stare at the doorway oddly.
'Well that was interesting, wasn't it?' remarked Nail in a sardonic tone. 'Still, it's not quite clear why she is so…unique,' he paused and continued, 'You know Piccolo, you had me worried there for a minute. I wasn't sure how far you were intending to go.'
'Whatever...I found out what I needed to know, that's all,' he grunted, 'And as for her personal background, it's not of any importance, especially to you!' Piccolo sternly muttered to his pacifistic counterpart.
'Really Piccolo, aren't you a little bit curious about her background? I mean, from my vantage point, you two seem to have a lot in common,' stated Nail plainly. 'And after that little display between the both of you, I think it's safe to say that you're warming up to her...'
'Nail, why don't you just sh—'
"AHEM." Piccolo's telepathic comment was cut off by Sofia who peeked her head into her room and stared at Piccolo with a cynical expression. "Are you coming Namek, or do you want to stay and play with your action figure?" she said wittily and pointed to her backpack where the doll was semi-visible.
Piccolo gave her a dirty look and mumbled something unintelligible as he followed her out of her room and down the hall.
Sofia led Piccolo to the stairs and descended, with him close behind. They walked past pictures of relatives and her brothers, and Piccolo noticed that there weren't any photographs of her included with the rest. Hmph, weird.
They got to the bottom of the stairs and Sofia went to her right, where the family room and kitchen were. Piccolo looked around the downstairs of the house, noticing the elegant furniture of the living room to his left, the ceramic and porcelain doll collections that littered every single available space of the room. He also noticed more family portraits, and the fact that Sofia wasn't in any of them or that she was represented in any photos at all.
While he continued his silent tour, Sofia went to the kitchen and got a large plastic glass and filled it with cold water from the sink. She then walked over to the doors that led to the backyard and went out. Now outside, she walked over to her dog's water bowl and filled it with fresh, cold water. "Prince, come here," she called out to her dog, who immediately ran in the direction of his owner's voice. "There you are, you psycho," she paused and noticed that her dog was looking at her strangely, as if he didn't recognize her. Prince walked over to her feet and began to sniff her.
"Come on Prince, I know I look different. IT'S ME!" she said in an annoyed tone, one which sounded familiar to her pet, who began to shake his butt in acknowledgement and walk in circles around her; his usual routine.
"Grrr, you silly-ass dog," she pet Prince and rubbed behind his floppy ears. "I'll see you in a little while." She walked over to the doors leading back into the house, when Prince started making that irritating high-pitched howl he does when he sees a stranger. When she got to the doors she realized why.
Piccolo was standing by the doors looking out at Sofia's backyard and Prince could see him. She walked back into the house and closed the door behind her.
"I didn't know you had a dog," he remarked in his stoic tone, as he looked down at the animal at the other side of the backdoor. He cringed when the animal made the same howl as before and walked over into the kitchen where he was out of sight from the rambunctious animal.
"Yeah, he might not be the smartest dog at times, but he makes up for it with his goofiness," she stated plainly as she walked into the kitchen, put the glass away, and went to the refrigerator. She opened the fridge and pulled out two freezing bottles of water, and tossed one of them to Piccolo who caught it without even looking up; he was staring out of the kitchen window at the darkening sky.
"It's going to rain," he muttered tersely and looked over at Sofia.
"In Puerto Rico...big surprise," she stated with a note of sarcasm in her voice and sat at the kitchen table. "You can sit if you want," she looked over at the towering Namek, who stared back at her for a couple of seconds before taking a seat across from her.
He took his cape and pulled it over his right shoulder so it wouldn't get caught when he sat down. He then ripped the top off of his bottled water and gulped the entire contents in one shot. Sofia raised an eyebrow and opened her own bottle, taking her time with gulping down the water.
After an uncomfortable silence between them, Sofia decided to open up a conversation with her usual, unorthodox manner. "Sooooo...what sucks about being a Namek?!" she said this in a cool tone, but with a slight humorous undertone.
Piccolo cocked his head to the side and emitted this curious grunt. Sofia chuckled at his reaction and took a swig of her water — thinking it was one of the cutest things he had done so far — while Piccolo's stare intensified on her.
She looked over at him and realized that he wanted to say something. "Did you want to be the one to initiate the conversation, cuz by all means—"
"Why are you such a bitch?" his deep voice rumbled off the kitchen walls.
She looked back at him wide-eyed, completely caught off guard by his question. Her mind tried to analyze if it was an insult, or if it was his attempt to get back at her with his own humor. She slowly realized that it was an actual question, and that he expected a truthful answer.
Piccolo's expression remained solid, not even his eyes betrayed any sort of emotion.
No one had ever asked her that question, not even in a joking way. However, Sofia found herself wondering the same thing, and began to work through the answer out loud.
"Well...I guess—" she paused and looked away from him, her expression going from tense to unreadable. "I guess because of many reasons. Some reasons are common, everyday stuff, and...others aren't," her tone was very docile, not revealing any emotion whatsoever. "I haven't had the best life. But, who does..." as she spoke, memories of her childhood flashed in her mind. "Being different hasn't been the best precursor for anything in my life...especially when you're surrounded by people who think, act and feel differently from you," images of her being teased and cornered by groups of peers went through her mind; the constant beatings..."I don't have any friends, and I've never had—I'm, I'm just alone; that's how it's always been," being told she was worthless, a complete nothing, but she still kept her indifferent expression and her voice leveled, "I've taken shit from people for more than half my existence...I guess I just grew out of that," her parent's verbal abuse, the condemnation she suffered by her peers, everything came to a head..."I just started fighting back; stopped giving a crap over what other people thought of me, and decided to be what I am...different." She paused and looked directly at Piccolo, "I know I'm different, and I accept that completely...guess "bitch" is the perfect title for me. It encompasses the way I come off at times, and it's the general ideal I hold to myself: I can't trust anyone or let anyone get close, or in other words, "be a bitch.""
Piccolo took in her words, while he silently read her expression and her tone for any signs of resentment or anger...but found nothing. She seemed to be indifferent, like she felt nothing over what she was telling him, that is until he looked at her eyes. Her eyes at first were like stone, not revealing anything just like the rest of her. But as she got more into what she was saying, Piccolo could see something change in them. The brown spheres that once contained this fearless and challenging spark—which he had seen in their first confrontation at Gohan's house—now contained traces of something he hadn't seen in a very long time... at least since the last time he looked at his own eyes in a mirror. He saw pain.
He remained stoic at his silent conclusion, but could not help wonder why she seemed to be so cut off from her own world, especially with the ties to her own family.
"What about your family?" he found himself asking out loud.
Sofia looked at him and slightly sneered as she considered the question. "What about them?! Not like I'm considered a member of this family," she muttered in a low, angry voice. When Piccolo looked at her with a raised eye ridge, she added cynically, "Lets just say I feel for my family the same thing you feel towards Kami."
Piccolo sneered at the comparison. "So that's why you're not in any of the pictures around here?" he asked in a cool tone as he sat back in the chair and crossed his arms.
She raised an eyebrow. "Jeez, very observant aren't we!" She crossed her own arms over her chest. "Yes...you could say that my parents consider me a nuisance, since I'm not what they quite wanted as the first born." She seemed to get annoyed with the direction their conversation had taken, so she got up from the table and sighed noisily. "Whatever. What's done is done...no use bitching about it!" she said this in a grumble, then continued, "Lets get going. Kami is probably thinking that we ended up ripping each other's throats out," she stated and gave a slight sadistic grin.
Piccolo snorted at the thought and got up from the table. "Who's to say that we won't?!"
Sofia's eyes went wide. "Holy crap. Piccolo made a joke!" She raised her arms over her head. "The Apocalypse is upon us!" she shouted in an exaggerated voice.
He gave her a dirty look." Very funny," was all Piccolo muttered to her little outburst at his expense.
Sofia slightly smirked at him. She took their now empty bottles of water and threw them in the trash. God, he's so HOT! I think it's time for me to have a little fun with this Yummy Namek...
Sofia looked back at Piccolo whose attention was diverted to something outside of the window across from where he was standing, and got a wicked idea.
SLAP!
She suddenly ran towards Piccolo and slapped his ass as she went by him to get to the stairs. When she got to the first landing she decided to relieve some more of her tension towards Piccolo. "You got a firm ass, Namek!" she shouted to the wide-eyed and jaw-dropped Namek who if in the anime realm, would have had an uncountable number of sweat drops around his turban-clad head.
When she didn't get an immediate answer to her hormonal statement, she added, "I guess you like it like that don't you, Piccolo?! Hahahahaha—yikes!"
Piccolo had snapped himself out of his shocked stupor and started ascending the stairs, at a speed that she hadn't anticipated. "GET OVER HERE!" he shouted in a gruff tone at her as she rounded the corner on the top of the stairs and headed down the hallway and into her room, with him VERY close behind.
She ran in her room, jumped on her bed and swiftly swung her backpack to her back and stood on her bed as Piccolo came into the room. Maybe that wasn't such a good idea, she thought in a redundant tone. Guess I should put my new power to the test!
With their heights equal, Piccolo stalked over to Sofia with the intention of shaking the life out of her, but when he got to the foot of her bed (where she was standing), a force equal to having someone put their hand on his chest and hold him at bay stopped him when he came only inches away from her.
"Now-now, Piccolo. I was only screwin' around! Just thought I'd relieve the tension between us, that's all," she remarked with her arm still raised in front of her in a very confident tone.
Piccolo gave her a judging once over. "You seem to do that a lot! All you do is create tension, kid," he replied snidely, then added, "You're lucky to have "acquired" such a valuable ability, seeing as I planned on kicking your ass for that stunt you just pulled!"
Sofia wiggled her eyebrows in a cartoonish fashion and said, "Good thing I now have the equivalent of an electric fence around me, HUH!" Piccolo wrinkled his nose at her goofy statement. She got off her bed and walked over to her dvd collection, which was by her TV, and got something. Wonder what he'll think of this?! ran through her ingenious mind as she walked over to Piccolo and handed him a PS2 case.
Piccolo took the case and looked at the cover, his dark eyes going wide. "What...is this?!" he asked as he looked over at Sofia. He had in his hand DBZ Budokai for PS2.
"That's further proof of how big you guys are in my realm; there's a sequel to that game and they're making a third...pretty cool, right?" she replied in a leveled tone that still showed her excitement.
He continued to look at the cover with an unreadable expression, then suddenly handed the game back to her. He roughly went by her and walked over to where her dvds, box sets, and video games were. He looked over the titles, coming upon the Matrix trilogy, Underworld, T-2, and the X anime series and movie; he also glanced over her DBZ box sets. He looked back at her with an inquisitive stare that intensified to a smoldering glare.
"Why do you have all these things?" he asked and gestured towards the box sets.
A little surprised, Sofia sat on her bed and sighed. "I just like—the show's interesting. Why does it bother you so much?" she said and looked at him.
"Because it's not everyday I find out my life has been watched by others...and that all this stuff exists. You know everything that has and will happen in my dimension, and so do all the others who have watched this series," he stated and looked away from her, his eyes landing on the cloth poster over her bed. "And what's that about?!"
Sofia looked in the direction he was looking. "Oh, that? Just a poster of something that's going to happen later on. That guy," she pointed to S.S. Trunks, "you and everyone else are going to meet him pretty soon," she paused then stood up on her bed and walked over to Piccolo, putting her left hand on his right shoulder pad. "I know this all probably sucks for you, but...you shouldn't focus on it," she said in a business-like tone. "All this is of no importance, just as long as you keep it that way. It shouldn't matter to you all these stupid things from my dimension, because they don't contradict who you are and what you do. I'm...sorry if I've caused you to see your life in a different way," she looked down, feeling intense embarrassment, just realizing how personal she was getting.
Piccolo grunted softly. He took his index finger and thumb, and placed them under her chin. He then raised her face so he could look into her deep brown eyes.
"Why do you care what I feel? You don't owe me anything, Sofia." His voice seemed to rumble through her soul. She felt so strange — him simply addressing her by her name made her feel this warmth in her chest.
"I just—" she was at a loss for words. Sofia had always felt this connection with Piccolo way before meeting him, and now having him so close to her, speaking to her in a trusting manner...she didn't know how to react. She could only stare back into his black pools.
All of a sudden, the pendant on her chest began to pulsate and glow with the liquid red swirl it had done from the first time. She stepped back and looked down at the pendant.
"Why is it doing that?" Piccolo asked in a low tone, almost a whisper to her.
She shrugged her shoulders and stated flatly, "I guess it's time to get back." Piccolo nodded and walked over to the foot of her bed, and faced the mirror. Sofia walked over to the edge of her bed, still trying to keep the last subject out of her mind. I almost told him my feelings for him... Why would he care about what I— She cut her thought off, coming to a sudden realization. She devilishly smirked to herself and looked at Piccolo. "Hey...you have something on your face, Piccolo," she said with a lopsided smirk.
Piccolo looked at her curiously, glanced back at the mirror to confirm what she was saying, but it began to ripple, distorting his reflection. He faced her completely and raised a brow ridge as he asked, "Where?"
In a flash, Sofia wrapped her arms around Piccolo's neck and planted a kiss on his right cheek, leaving a red lipstick kiss print. "Right there...at least now there's something!" she stated in a low tone to his ear.
Piccolo was caught completely off guard, managing to stumble back when he tried to stutter out a reply, and ended up tripping on the bottom edge of the mirror — taking him and Sofia, who still had her arms around his neck, through the rippling portal through the other side, leaving her room in the quiet serenity it had been in before their arrival.
THANKS FOR READING!
I unfortunately won't be able to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter, seeing as so many people took the time to do so .
The Ace of Authors: I do understand that you have seniority around here, but I STILL stand by my words...(looks to the chained Namek on the bed draped in purple) Now if you excuse me (rips clothes off, revealing a full dominatrix ensemble underneath, and pulls a leather whip from behind her back) it's time for Piccolo and I to have a little fun (grins evilly and walks away. The cracking of a whip and the shouts of Piccolo for help are heard from a distance).
Baka-Kos: THANX ROSIE! I'M GLAD YOU LIKED THE LAST CHAPTER ENOUGH TO THREATEN ME TO FINISH THE NEXT ONE. HOPE YOU LIKED IT )
Cyndi: (walks to a corner after reading Cyndi's review and begins to rock back and forth while clutching her Piccolo doll) hope you like this chapter... I can't wait for your next review (grins madly).
Also thanx to Merina, Delphine Pride, Gekkei Kitsune, and dglsprincess105.
