Piccolo

Goten and I headed out that night, back to Denda.

We reached the lookout in silent thought and were unsurprised to find Denda awaiting our arrival.

"You have news?" He questioned us.

"You're on the list." I answered.

"I thought as much." He responded, moving slowly towards us, "Would you have come to see me if it was otherwise?"

Goten and I stood silent. There could be no answer to that question, it was so circumstantial. He only smiled at our silence. "My curiosity is not trust nor is it respect. I may be the hardest person to gain that from, simply because I know you seek it."

"I will think hard on that. However, you are the one who wishes for me to complete this quest and therefore would respect me if I completed it." I answered taking my step forward.

He stood his ground making no movement away from or towards me.

"Or we could simply go on the fact that 3 of your good friends already trust me." I said taking another step forward.

Again an unmoving silence.

"Where is Piccolo?" I question, hoping the task of winning him will also win over Denda.

"Head south and keep moving until you find a small island with heat storms in the center of ice." Denda spoke his piece and returned inside. Our conversation was over.

I continued me journey alone. I flew further and further south until the water below me was nearly all ice. Then I spotted an island in the distance the color of orange fire, a desert in the ice.

As I came the islands edge I had already been spotted. He didn't say a word. He just hovered there looking at me.

"Piccolo," I called to him, my voice sounded more sure than I really was.

He lowered to the ground.

"I came to learn from you, to make myself stronger, to remember more of myself." I called to him yet again.

"Gohan's girl right," He answered in his low voice.

"I guess you could say that." I responded as he walked toward me.

"Why don't you consult him?"

"He has his hands full training Vadel. I wouldn't want to get in the middle of that."

"For your own safety?" He questioned, circling me.

"I have caused enough trouble for Gohan. I know he would be happy to help me, but I could not ask it of him."

He stood in front of me pondering my response; I could see it in the way he looked at me. "Don't leave this island. And no flying." He turned to leave, "I'll check in on you in a while."

I spent two days alone on the island. I had nothing important to do. I watched the sunset. I ran the island border every morning. When Piccolo finally stopped in all he could say was "you're too old for this."

He handed me a cape and leapt into the air. "Follow."

I ran the cape over my shoulders and followed him into the air.

"Catch me, but do not leave the borders of the island." He called to me as he soared into the clouds.

I flew to the center of the island and concentrated. I could beat him in an immediate speed. However, he could out maneuver me because of his better knowledge of the area and the simple fact that this is not a race. I followed his movements they were sporadic. He expected me to follow him. This was to my advantage. I slowly rose to the center of his movements, searching out his mind. There was nothing to find there but emptiness. His movements were not even thought out, but there was a pattern.

I pulled my mind into a shroud. A shroud with no energy symbol, no pulse. I was air. I flew up into piccolo's path and as he came by I pulled the tie on his cloak.

He came to a stop not very far for where I was and looked around for me.

I flew around him to his right ear. "Did I win?" I whispered.

He looked right at me but still didn't see me. He held out his hand. "Where are you?"

"Right here," I answered pulling in my energy and circling in front to be in front of him.

"How did you do that?" He asked puzzled but not shocked.

"When you fight you rely on secondary sight and energy signals. If I mock death and keep up a steady shield you'll never see me."

"You do realize now that I know this I can fight it." He raised an eyebrow and started to lower to the ground.

"I don't intend on being enemies and besides what if someone else figured that out." I smiled.

He simply smiled back. It was such a smile that I could never have imagined the man ever doing it unsarcastically.

"Are you joining the tournament?"

"What tournament?" I asked as we landed.

"The Z warrior tournament, it's coming up in a few weeks and I'd personally like to see how you rank."

"I guess I'll go than." I promised and handed Piccolo back his cape.

"No you keep it. It will be good training. The boys at this tournament don't go easy and they know what they're doing." He dropped his smile. "Next time we meet I'll have to fight you, but it was good to meet you." He held out his hand and I took it. The metal left my finger and I felt all of Piccolo's power seize me. However there was no light just a light felling in my mind. Two left and I could find them at the tournament.