Chapter 8- It's just training

"I'm ready for my training Mr Piccolo"

"Good, it's about time"

It was a month after the storm that we feared had taken Gohan. Today he was alive, and he was in this sparkling forest, awaiting for his training to begin. I had to admire the kid, he had changed drastically over the last few months of solitude.

Where chubby child fat had been before, bulky muscle fitted instead. He wasn't just physically tough either, his mentality had gone up a few notches.

"All right, Lessa, you sit this one out" I glared at him but obediently went and pulled myself up a small mountain, sitting and swinging my legs over the side so I could watch them.

"Now Gohan, I want you to attack me with all your might" Gohan nodded and Piccolo crossed his arms over his chest, preparing for an onslaught. The kid darted forwards, his speed about half of Piccolo's. Piccolo stayed completely still and Gohan skidded around him, coming to his rear and attempting to land a kick up Piccolo's backside. Piccolo only moved at the last split second, leaping about five metres away from Gohan before blasting some ki at him. The same thing happened again twice more, before Piccolo stood up straight and held his hand up at the breathless Gohan.

He was disappointed, that much was obvious.

"Gohan, my first piece of advice for you is to sense the enemy rather than see him"

As Gohan shook his head; Piccolo sighed.

"Use your ki Gohan, and feel out your enemy's ki"

They continued for hours, Gohan always missing every single hit, and barely dodging Piccolo's. Piccolo was merciless, and the night was still young before Gohan was beaten to a pulp. His face was bruised with one eye so swollen it was obvious he couldn't see out of it. But he still smiled with determination.

As Gohan finished of the fish I had made and settled down to sleep, I asked Piccolo is he would allow me to heal his wounds so he could start fresh the next day but he wouldn't allow it.

'The boy needs to learn to fight with his wounds, besides, he's got saiyan blood. If he's anything like his dad he'll heal fast enough'

Saiyan blood or not, the blood in that swelling would still be there for a couple of days; obstructing his sight and making him more susceptible to Piccolo's attacks.

Maybe that was his plan, after all. He did say he wanted him to sense his enemy, not see them.

"When the kid's not eating or sleeping" Piccolo devoured the final fish and licked his lips, "He'll be sparring with you or me, got it?"

"You ain't the boss of me Piccolo" He rolled his eyes before fastening them on me. I saw them slip lower down my body.

"I know" He said softly. "But sometimes I wish I was" My cheeks heated up before I could stop them.

"Let's just train Piccolo"

"Agreed"

"I'm making progress ain't i mr Piccolo" Gohan looked expectantly at Piccolo, his respect for him glowing in the camp fire light.

A hint of a smile crossed Piccolo's face before he frowned at Gohan.

"Your making progress kid, but it isn't enough for what the two months training we've been doing" Gohan's smile dropped instantly.

"Lay of him Piccolo, he's been doing his best. Besides, you can't hit him as much as you'd like to, and not for lack of trying either"

"So what. He dodges my first couple of attacks and then I can still beat the crap out of him. I'm sorry but these saiyans are gonna be at least twice as strong as me and if you can't even dodge all my attacks these saiyans will have you dead within a minute. And you Lessa, your too soft on him, he's not gonna learn if you keep letting him get a hit on you every now and then on purpose"

"Yeah well, I'm sorry that I'm not as heartless as you and that I'm not into childbeating"

"And you can stop growling too"

"This fish and apple stew is amazing Lessa" Gohan said through mouthfuls of my latest recipe, desperately trying to banish the heavy air between us.

"Thanks kiddo, sorry I couldn't get some of that dinosaur meat you like so much though. That dinosaur you were eating of seems to have died from its fellow dinosaurs picking on it"

The silence came back. As usual. We'd known each other for eight months but it seemed there still wasn't much to say.

I yawned half out of distraction and half exhaustion.

"Man i'm tired, i'm think i'll hit the hay if you don't mind"

"Goodnight Lessa"

"Night Gohan" I shuffled myself around the other side of the campfire away from Piccolo before turning on my side and closing my eyes. It didn't help though, I could still feel Piccolo's eyes boring daggers in my back.

Neither male spoke for the next twenty minutes, yet I still couldn't sleep.

Lessa was cute when she slept, all the tension eased from the parts of her body bared. Her body looked delicate, and I had a raging instinct to protect it. Not that there was anything to protect it from. All there was here was me, Gohan and a fire.

"Mr piccolo"

"Yes Gohan?"

"I've seen the way you look at Miss Lessa. I could go away for a bit if you want some time alone with her" What!?

"Shut up and go to sleep kid"

'Kid's got a point though'

I had to restrain myself from growling. This inner voice thing was making way too many appearances and valid points over the past few months.

'You love her'

Yes…I do.