Ninth Chapter!! (Oh My Gods! Do NOT Go To The Gobi Desert!!! There Are DEATH WORMS There!! It was on Lost Videos, and there are 'supposedly' *shudder* Skin Walkers in Utah and other Reservation states and otherwise)
[Fast Forward to two weeks later] You sigh with exhaustion and get back down into the proper flying position, palms facing out in front of you and knees bent. Ever since you had begun to learn how to fly, it had seemed an impossible feat. Apparently your first try had been either beginner's luck or a fluke, because ever since you had been unable to raise yourself from the earth for more than a few seconds. For two tiring weeks you had been working on this, trying to teach yourself what seemed impossible. Trunks helped you when he had time, but because he often went out to search the city for survivors, it was difficult to find an ideal time of day when you were both able to train together. Over the last few days it had gotten especially frustrating, as you had thought that over time the process would become increasingly easy. It now appeared that you had been wrong. Growling in annoyance when another futile attempt leaves you tumbling to the ground, you stay in a lopsided sitting position for a moment and take a minute to relax, directing your gaze to the evening sky above. Staring up drowsily at the twinkling stars, you begin to raise yourself reluctantly when a loud whooshing noise makes you turn to your right, inhaling sharply in surprise. Suddenly, you see a tall figure standing in front of you, breathing heavily and staring down at your face. In a mixture of shock and horror, you stare up at the being.
The figure wears a wrapped turban-like article on his head, with a blue Gi covering his body and a long white cape flapping in the breeze behind him. In the darkness you find it hard to focus in on the features of his face, but you can see that his skin is a dark color, long white fingernails shining in the starlight at the end of each hand. Frightened out of your mind, you take a step back and look over your shoulder, trying to assess how far you are from the CC door and wondering if you would be able to make a run for it. Glancing fearfully back at the person, you take another step back and slowly meet it's eyes with yours, gulping audibly. "Who-who are you?" you ask shakily, looking back over your shoulder. Before you hear the other respond, the door swings open and Trunks runs out, rushing towards the figure. "Piccolo!" he says in a tone of both relief and amazement. He reaches you and the figure turns towards him, nodding in his direction. "I think it would be best for me to get inside, Trunks." it says in a deep voice. "I just had another close call. I might get found if I stay out here." Nodding, Trunks gestures for him to follow. Piccolo does so, and you trail a few feet behind him, still untrustworthy of the stranger. Once inside, Trunks flips on the light and you gaze in awe at the newcomer, discovering details in his appearance that you were unable to in the dark outside. His skin is lined and a mossy green color, pink muscles flexing as he raises his arm to remove the turban. In doing so, you observe two short antennae sprouting from his forehead. Unnerved but slightly less fearful, Trunks turns towards you and puts his hand on your shoulder. "Sorry ****, this is Piccolo. I told you about him, right? The dragon balls?" Memory flooding back to you in an instant, you nod and turn your gaze to the standing name. Piccolo looks over to Trunks and gives a rather feral-looking smile, canines glinting in the light. "Who's this, Trunks?" he asks, looking back at you. "A survivor" Trunks replies, pulling down a rolled-up sleeve of his jacket. "I saved her from the androids a few weeks ago. She's living with me and mom now." "Uh, I'm ****." you say hesitantly, the situation seeming strange but exciting at the same time.
Piccolo nods at you and makes his way over to the couch, sitting down on a cushion and putting his hand to his forehead wearily. Trunks walks over and sits down next to him, looking concernedly into his face. "Where've you been this whole time, Piccolo?" he asks, leaning back on the sofa. "Near one of the rivers by Goku's old place." he replies, taking a deep breath. "Android 17 spotted me a few hours ago and tried to block me in, but I got away. 18 wasn't with him, though." A second later, Trunks' lips curve into a half-smile that Piccolo notices, smirking back. "I take it you had something to do with that?" he asks. "Yeah, I took care of her. I was going for 17, but got her instead." Piccolo blinks and nudges him slightly. "Great. Now we won't have to worry about Cell reaching his complete form." At this moment, you walk slowly over and sit down on the couch next to Trunks, listening eagerly. Piccolo leans forward and looks back at Trunks, his face taking on a serious expression. "Listen. I don't think I can hold out much longer, Trunks. If I run into Cell I'm done for. How many dragon balls have you collected?" "Five so far." Trunks replies, looking at his companion, "**** and I found the last one a couple weeks ago." "Great job, kid." Piccolo smiles appreciatively. "We might be able to pull this off after all." Trunks nods. "It'll be great to have Goku back. My father, too..." He drifts off into a daze for a moment before coming back to reality, looking startled. "Piccolo, you could stay here if you want." he says, sounding nervous. "You won't have to worry about Cell. We could keep you safe until we can wish Goku back." Piccolo shakes his head and stands up. "No, it's better for me to be alone. There's less of a chance of both of us getting hurt. Besides, Trunks, we both know Cell could attack me here just as easily as if I were somewhere else." Nodding slowly, Trunks sighs and stands up next to him. "You're leaving then?" he asks. "Right now?" Piccolo nods back. "Yes. It's best for me to find a new place to stay before it gets light out. Don't worry about me I'll be fine. Just look out for yourself. And the girl here." Hearing his reference to you, you blink in surprise and confusion as Trunks lets out a sigh. "Ok. I'll see you out then."
Turning around, the namekian places his hand on Trunks' shoulder. "I'll see myself out, don't worry. Thank you, Trunks. Hopefully we'll meet again soon." "We will, Piccolo." Trunks replies softly, obviously aware that it was very possibly the last time he would ever see his friend. "Thank you." Upon hearing this, Piccolo turns around and pulls open the backyard door, walking outside and shutting it swiftly behind him. Trunks sits down again and stares at the floor pensively, his blue eyes half-lidded and dreary. Almost unaware of what you are doing, you turn to the side and wrap your arms around him, slowly pulling him into a reassuring hug. Trunks is still for a moment before embracing you back, turning his head so that you cannot see the tears running down his cheeks. Feeling a sharp pang of hurt and sadness for Trunks, you continue to hold him close, trying to will away the tears that begin to well up in your own eyes. You had been here for such a short time, but you already knew so much. You understood how close Trunks had come to losing all of his friends and family to those ruthless killing machines, and it hurt you to think that Trunks might have to go through what you had. He could end up losing everything, including his own life. He could end up dead like everyone else..........