Gohan sat quietly beside his master, pretending to meditate. Every sound distracted him—the babbling of the stream in front of them, the breeze in the trees, the chirping birds. What should have been a peaceful afternoon felt anything but. The boy cracked open an eye and peered at the water, longing to be swimming instead of…whatever this was meant to be.

"Close your eyes," Piccolo barked. "Focus for once in your life."

"Yes, sir."

Since the night of the party, Piccolo just didn't seem the same. His patience, typically thin at best to begin with, was practically nonexistent now. There was no softness to him, no leeway. Gohan couldn't fathom what might have happened, though he had a few hypotheses.

Hana, too, had been out of sorts following the party. Not visibly, of course. She still smiled the same, laughed the same, taught the same. But an overwhelming something poured off her body in waves of negative ki that were impossible to ignore. Gohan sometimes felt similar projections from his mother when she was especially upset, though Chi-Chi usually kept her ki in check, having been trained as a child. Hana, however, seemed unaware of her output. Gohan had been meaning to bring it up after their lessons, but Piccolo saw to it that there was no wasted time between tutoring and training.

Gohan stretched his legs out in front of him. "May I ask a question, sir?"

"No."

"But I won't be able to concentrate until I know the answer."

Piccolo glared his student down. "What? What is it, Gohan? What could possibly be so urgent that you just have to know it this instant?"

"What happened between you and Miss Hana?"

With a grunt of surprise, Piccolo crossed his arms over his chest. "That has literally no bearing on your ability to meditate."

"But—"

"The end, Gohan."

"Okay…"

Piccolo brooded for a moment, grumbling low in his throat, his jaw clenching. Finally he tore the turban from his head and heaved an irritated sigh. "What, did she say something to you?"

"She didn't have to," said Gohan. "She's real sad, I can tell. And she's been this way all week. And you've also been—"

Piccolo narrowed his eyes.

"—uh, tougher. Than usual."

"Good save."

"It's just that I'm putting it all together," said Gohan, "and it looks like something happened. Are you guys fighting? Did you yell at her or something? You're not supposed to yell at girls."

Piccolo looked scandalized. "I wouldn't—I didn't yell at her." Gohan wasn't sure he believed him. "Stop looking at me like that. We're not discussing Miss Hana anymore. I'm done with the topic."

They settled back into their meditation poses, falling into an uneasy silence. Gohan watched Piccolo turn the turban over in his hands and wind a loose thread around his finger. He wished his master would just open up. Why did adults have to make everything so hard?

"Y'know, she probably wants to talk to you."

"Gohan." A warning.

"She's not gonna bite your head off, sir. Whatever happened, just apologize."

"Gohan."

"I mean, don't you like her?"

"THAT DOES IT." Piccolo grabbed Gohan by the scruff of his neck and hurled him into the stream.

Gohan splashed and sputtered, climbing up on a big mossy stone, clothes drenched. He couldn't help the victorious smile on his face. "I knew you did," he said. He shook his hair out like a little black dog. "You should tell her!"

Piccolo was on his feet now, adjusting his turban. "This is the end of our training session. If you won't take this seriously, I won't waste my time. Train yourself for the rest of the week and see how much you improve on your own."

"H-hey!" Gohan leapt to the other bank just as his master rose off the ground and flew away. "You can't do that!" But he was already gone.

.

.

Hana read quietly to herself as she waited for Gohan to finish his math problems. She hadn't read Jane Eyre since high school but for some reason she felt drawn to it again. It was wordy and hefty and dramatic, perfect for getting lost in, perfect for forgetting your troubles in.

"Miss Hana?"

Mr. Rochester's gruff indifference hit a little too close to home. Perhaps that was it. She hadn't spoken to Piccolo since the party. She'd had the opportunity—it wouldn't have been difficult to interrupt Gohan's training, but all the same, she couldn't. She just couldn't. Her eyes searched the pages of the book, hoping to glean some phrase of courage from Jane, to be inspired into action.

"Miss Hana!"

Hana jumped in her chair. "Oh, Gohan." She put a sheepish hand to her forehead. "Sorry, I don't know where my head's at today. Did you finish already?"

"Yup." The boy handed off a page of completed equations. "I think I've got the hang of algebraic fractions now."

Hana snuck a quick peek at his work, noting his correct answers. "Wow, I'll say. These are all right. I guess we can start moving on to bigger and better stuff, huh?"

"Yeah, sure."

She lifted an eyebrow. "Gohan? Aren't you excited?"

He made a grin appear on his face. "Uh-huh. Sorry, just thinking about something else."

"Well, all right. I suppose you can run off to your training now if you'd like. It's just about that time."

Gohan didn't move. "That's…what I'm thinking about. Mr. Piccolo cut me off for the rest of the week. Doesn't wanna train me."

"What?!" Hana closed her book and sat forward. It didn't seem at all like Piccolo to leave his student like that. "I still remember him getting mad at me about how important your training is, and now he's just…quit?"

"Just for the week," said Gohan. "I think it's because I embarrassed him. He got pretty angry."

That seemed more like Piccolo. "What on earth could he have gotten so embarrassed about?"

Gohan laughed a little. "I tried to get him to apologize to you."

Hana's fingers curled reflexively around the spine of Jane Eyre. "He told you what happened?"

"No. But he's been acting meaner ever since Master Roshi's party. And your ki is putting out all kinds of negative energy. So I just assumed."

Her ki? Hana didn't even realize she had a ki, and he knew what was it up to. The kid was too astute for his own good. After a lengthy sigh, Hana let her shoulders slouch. "He left me at the party. I had to get a ride from Bulma and Yamcha."

"But I thought he said he'd take you home."

"He did." Hana grumbled. "I dunno. I guess he got scared off. But…I was having a really nice time hanging out with him up until that point."

Gohan's hands tightened into fists. "Then I'll try even harder to make him apologize!"

Hana gave the top of his head a pat. "You're very sweet, Gohan, but really, you don't have to trouble yourself with it. It's something we'll deal with ourselves."

"But—"

"You go on and start your training and I'll be out in a minute to watch you. Maybe you can show me a bit about how ki works."

The idea lit up Gohan's eyes with excitement and he reached for his gi.

.

.

The air at the Lookout was thin and cold. Dark clouds rolled soundlessly somewhere beneath the temple, twisting into one another and lighting the sky with flashes of lightning. Everything always felt so distant from the edge of the Lookout. Piccolo wondered how Kami managed to keep interested in the goings-on of the planet below when there was such an obvious disconnect.

"Out here again, I see," Kami said.

Piccolo glared over his shoulder. "What's it to you?"

Kami put up a defensive hand and smiled. "I'm simply curious when you'll be returning to your eager student. It's been three days now."

"Gohan's been just fine."

"But have you?"

Piccolo snorted an aggravated "pfft" and turned back to watch the storm clouds.

Kami continued. "This absence of yours isn't related to something else, is it?"

"No."

After a beat of silence and another flash of lightning, Kami spoke again. "Because I'm willing to bet you can't bring yourself to face Hana."

"So you're spying on me now?"

"It's hardly spying when you're God."

Piccolo swallowed down the sudden lump in his throat. He'd been attempting to avoid any thought of her. Out of sight, out of mind. But no matter how hard he tried she kept slinking back in along the periphery of his consciousness, like sand in his shoes. "She has nothing to do with this," he said. Kami gave no reply, which only goaded Piccolo on to keep talking. "I don't have anything I need to say to her, all right? It's just…it's done with. I bet I already screwed it up. It doesn't matter."

"What doesn't matter?" Kami asked.

That awful feeling in the pit of his stomach was back. Or perhaps it never left. Piccolo licked his dry lips, unable to answer.

Kami shook his head like a weary father. "Piccolo," he said, "do you honestly think your affection for her doesn't matter? How very sad."

Piccolo whirled around. "I don't have—" But Kami had vanished. "—affection…for her." The words felt wrong in his mouth. And hearing them aloud put new strain on his insides. He wished he could vomit up everything about her and be done with it.

He eased down the trunk of a palm tree. Closed his eyes. Meditation had been a chore as of late, taking every ounce of his concentration. A deep spiritual drain had taken the place of the usual sense of refreshment earned from a good hour or so of reflection. If he could just quiet himself now, just focus on what was important in the long run, surely he could overcome this mental challenge.

Yes, he thought, just picture her as a challenge. Picture her—

—pressing her face into his chest as they flew from the valley—

—delicate fingers braiding her wind-tossed hair—

—her hand on his knee, a soft smile—

His eyes snapped open.

There would be no meditation tonight.

.

.

The storms from the last few days finally let up, leaving deep puddles along the sides of the roads leading into the city. From the bus window, Hana watched the passing trees and then, gradually, the passing buildings. Downtown was grayer than usual but still bustling with people, and Hana took a deep breath in preparation of the crowds. The bus rolled to a stop just shy of the shopping district. Most everyone stood and started to gather their things, but Hana felt it best to slip out after them. She finally shuffled down the aisle and out the door before the driver pulled away from the curb.

Immediately someone shoved into her shoulder. "Hey!" she hollered after him to no effect. It was going to be one of those days, wasn't it.

Hana wandered from shop to shop, not exactly sure what she was looking for. All she really wanted was to get out of the house for a while.

A window display of flowered dresses drew her into a small boutique. The lady behind the counter looked up from a magazine. "Welcome in," she called. "Shoe sale this weekend. Buy one pair, get the second pair half off."

"Thanks," said Hana, already working her way to the back of the shop. A rack of long ruffled skirts caught her eye and she spent a couple minutes sifting through them.

Just as she thought to leave, a voice sailed over the store. "HANA!"

Hana whirled in the direction of her name, not knowing what to expect. Near the entrance, waving frantically, was Maron of all people. Krillin brought up the rear, already carrying several hours' worth of shopping.

Hana waved back and met them halfway. "Maron, Krillin! How funny to run into you guys."

"Hey, Hana," said Krillin. He looked even shorter than usual under all the boxes and bags. "What're you up to? Aren't you tutoring Gohan anymore?"

"Oh, yeah, I still am. Chi-Chi gave me the day off to relax, so I just decided to take the bus into town and do whatever."

Maron pried open one of the bags hanging on Krillin's arm and pulled out a teeny little bathing suit in glittery gold. "One of the stores up the street is doing a sale on swimsuits and I bought like six of them. You should go get a few. It's only gonna get hotter."

"I don't really swim that much," said Hana, purposefully not commenting on the risqué cut of the bathing suit.

"But don't you live by the beach?" Krillin asked. "I could've sworn Bulma said something like that."

Hana laughed and shrugged. "Yeah, I just don't get the time, though. And I've never really found a swimsuit that looks good on me."

That was the wrong thing to say. Maron suddenly got a very serious look on her face, her glossy pink lips tightening into a frown. "No way! I know just the style for you—c'mon!" And she grabbed Hana by the crook of her arm. Krillin hurried after them.

They raced across the street and into a busy shop filled with excited teenage girls. Surely, Hana thought, there couldn't be anything suitable for her in such a place. The looks all seemed much too young, much too flashy, but Maron found them a dressing room.

By the time they were finished, Krillin had fallen asleep on the bags he carried.

"You see?" said Maron, tugging the snug fabric at Hana's middle. Hana, completely red-faced, stared at herself in the dressing room's full-length mirror. Maron either didn't know personal boundaries existed or simply didn't care—she'd made it her mission to help wrestle Hana into several different bathing suits before they discovered the perfect fit. "The pattern cinches in your waistline and the attached skirt accentuates your hips. It's more girly than sexy, but I think it works for you."

Hana had to admit it looked nice. And it fit like a second skin. "It's…really pretty."

"Let's show Krillin!" Maron squealed, shoving Hana out through the curtain. Krillin snapped awake. The moment he caught a proper glimpse of Hana, his cheeks went pink. "What do you think, sweetie? Isn't she cute?"

"O-oh, wow." Krillin coughed. "I mean, yes. V-very cute."

Hana tried to pull the skirt down to cover more of her thighs. "Thanks."

Maron folded her arms proudly over her chest, admiring her choice. "And Krillin sweetie…don't you think someone else might also think so?"

Hana looked between the two of them, noting their amused grins. "What are you talking about?" she asked.

"Oh come now," Maron said, "like it wasn't totally obvious at Mr. Roshi's party that you and Piccolo have a thing going on."

"A thing?" Hana yanked even more desperately at the skirt. "It's really not like that. We both teach Gohan so we've kinda become friends. That's it."

Krillin leaned back in his chair, eyeing Hana with a smirk. "I dunno, I've known Piccolo for years and I've never seen him in such close contact with anyone except Gohan, and that's only because the kid's like a son to him."

"Your guys' faces were almost touching when me and Krillin interrupted you," Maron added.

That couldn't have been true. Hana searched her memory of that night. He'd made the dress for her. She put her hand on his knee and…he was starting to say something, wasn't he? She tried to remember the proximity of his voice—"N-no way," said Hana. "No way on earth."

"Well," said Maron, "I guess we'll find out eventually. Just make sure he sees you in this swimsuit at some point. Don't tug up the neckline so much either, you gotta show off the girls a little."

Hana made a big to-do of rolling her eyes. "Okay, I'm thoroughly embarrassed now. I'm gonna change back into my jeans." And she marched back into the dressing room and tried her best to slam the curtain.

.

.

The setting sun shone in Krillin's eyes and he pulled down the visor. In the back seat, surrounded by dozens of bags and boxes, Maron had fallen sound asleep. And Hana clutched her single shopping bag in her lap and watched the trees go by.

"Thanks for today," she said, softly as not to wake Maron. "Sorry I was kind of a third wheel, though. Hope you didn't mind too much."

Krillin smiled at her without taking his eyes off the road. "Oh no, don't worry about it. Me and Maron see each other almost every day. Besides, this was fun."

Hana returned his smile and nodded. "Yeah, it was."

"And thank you for indulging Maron. I know she's really young and she can be…lively. But she doesn't have very many girlfriends to go shopping and trying stuff on with, so I know she had a good time helping you out."

Hana peered back at the girl. "Aw, it's fine, Maron's sweet. Let her know I'll go shopping with her any day. Well, any day I have free, that is." She played a little with the tissue paper wrapped around her new swimsuit. "To be honest, I don't have a lot of friends either. Not very good at making them, I guess."

"Could've fooled me," Krillin said.

Warmth spread over Hana's still-smiling face. "Well, thanks."

The air car turned down her street just in time for the street lights to come on. She directed Krillin to her house and grabbed up her purse, getting ready to disembark. As they pulled to the curb, however, Krillin pointed and said, "Hana, look."

There on the front porch, sitting just to the left of the door, was Piccolo.

A cold sweat broke out on Hana's neck. "Oh my god. What is he doing? Is he meditating?"

Krillin went silent for a moment. "Actually, going off his ki, I'd say he's asleep."

"What?" Hana opened the door and started to get out with her things. "I appreciate the ride, Krillin. I should go see what he needs."

"You want me to stick around?"

"Nah, it's all right, you take Maron home. G'night, Krillin." She shut the car door, waved goodbye, and watched until the lights turned the corner and disappeared.

The porch stairs creaked under her feet but Piccolo didn't budge. Even when she gently jostled him he remained fast asleep. Hana knelt down and leaned in towards his ear, catching a hint of his natural scent. Something like chai tea and fresh linen. She lingered there overlong, just taking him in, appreciating the nearness of him.

"Piccolo."

His eyelids slowly lifted. "Mmn." A heavy breath left his lungs. "You're home."

"I am." Right away she could tell something was off. The exhaustion in his voice accentuated the tired circles beneath his eyes. " How long have you been waiting here?"

"Not sure." Piccolo rose to his feet with significant effort.

Hana bit her lip. Under the porch light he seemed pale and sweaty. "Are you all right?"

"Hm? Yeah."

She put down her bags and started unlocking the door. "You can come in. If you want. Have a mug of hot water." It was difficult not to drag him inside and make him rest on the sofa, but she didn't want to scare him off again. Didn't want to overstep any boundaries. Didn't want him further irritated with her.

Piccolo didn't move. "No. I just…want to say something and then I'll go."

Butterflies crowded into Hana's stomach. Why did he always have to be so intense? Would it kill him to just sit inside and chat like a normal person? Then again, nothing about him was normal. She supposed that was part of his appeal.

He cleared his throat. "I, uh, never meant to—that night at Roshi's—when I left, I didn't think—fuck, I practiced this." Reaching up, he removed his turban and wrung it in his hands. "Listen, I know I screwed up. If I give you a free shot can we call it even? Try being friends again?"

Hana opened her mouth and then, baffled, closed it. "A free shot?"

He nodded and dropped to his knees, fixing her with a solemn glare. "Right here." He pointed to his face. "Go on. I deserve it for upsetting you. For leaving you behind. Just everything. So go ahead. Right in the nose if you want."

Hana curled her fingers around her keys. Studied the fist she made. Looked to Piccolo. "You…want me to hit you?"

"Yes."

"You're serious."

"Dead serious."

The butterflies reached her heart and filled her lungs, her throat, her head. She didn't know how to play this. Couldn't concentrate. He kept staring at her expectantly, urging her on. The keys dug into the flesh of her palm.

Hana pulled her elbow back. "Here goes nothing..."

Her knuckles connected with the bridge of his nose.

"OW!" Piccolo clamped hands over his face, eyes watering. "You actually went for it! Ahhh…that really smarts."

Hana yelped. "Oh my god! I'm sorry!"

"It's fine," Piccolo moaned, sniffling. "I asked you to. I just…didn't think you'd actually punch me right in the nose."

"I'm sorry," she said again. "What a terrible idea. Telling me to hit you."

"Did it make up for what I did? Do you feel better at least?"

"No! I feel worse!"

"Well, damn."

Hana wriggled her fingers. Her whole hand was going to be a bruise tomorrow, she just knew it. "I've never punched anyone before. Not in my whole life. Ow…"

"Here." Piccolo cocooned her hand inside both of his. Heat grew between them, soaking her sore bones in healing warmth. Hana softened her brow. She wanted nothing more than to bury herself in his arms and get warm all over, but she knew better than to try. He let go of her and she tested his handiwork. "So…this didn't go well," he said.

"No kidding. No more of this crazy stuff, all right? We're even, whatever."

"Friends?"

"Yes, friends. Of course. I don't want it any other way."

"Good to hear." He nursed the bridge of his nose and wiped a bit of purple blood from his upper lip. "Gohan was right, though."

Hana eyed him curiously.

"About your ki," he said, getting to his feet. "He told me your ki was putting out all this bad energy. There's a pretty decent amount of it, too. That's probably how you broke my nose."

"I actually broke it?!" Hana was less impressed with herself and more mortified that she'd injured him so badly.

"I'm a fast healer, it's fine. But more importantly, I can help you shape that energy into something more beneficial. If you want, I mean. I sense a lot of untapped potential in your ki."

Hana started laughing. She picked up her purse and bag. "I don't have untapped potential, Piccolo," she said. "I've seen you and Gohan fight. I can't do anything like that. I'm just a girl, just a regular girl. I've got two weeks' worth of dishes in the sink. There's hardly a thing left in the pantry. I'm like forty pounds overweight and just got talked into buying a swimsuit because Maron said I should wear it in front of the guy I like, like how sad is that."

Piccolo lost some color. "The guy you like—?"

"So I'm just sort of done. With today. I'll see you at the Son house tomorrow, though, right? Gohan really misses you."

Piccolo watched her open the front door. "But—Hana, wait—"

"Oh, one more thing." She kissed the tip of her finger and touched it gingerly to his nose. He went cross-eyed for a second, shocked speechless, blushing up to his ears. "Sorry again for…that. Good night, Piccolo." And before he could recover, Hana closed the door behind her.

.

.

My absolutely heartfelt thanks to everyone who came back to keep reading. I'm so very sorry about the wait...I know it's been months and months. I got inspired again and I'm eager to continue writing this story until November, which is National Novel Writing Month. I'll be taking a break then to write a different story. But then I'll return in December!

And to new readers...welcome welcome! I hope this fic isn't as rambling and incoherent as I sometimes think it is, haha. It's a lot of fun to write, though, so I hope it's just as fun to read.

Again, thanks so much for reading. I'll try to be better at updating. :)