Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Dragonball Z Lives On: The Shizen Saga ❯ Chapter 9

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Chapter 9

Awaken

Awaken thou within me

And see all that is changed.

Piccolo had no idea where he was. There was darkness all around him. But there was a warmth to the darkness. A comforting warmth that he was unable to explain. Later on, Piccolo's memories of being inside the Earth became very hazy. But there was one memory that stood out vividly. There was some sort of presence in the darkness, trying to communicate something to him. And he knew at one point, he had understood it completely.

The dragons kept a guarding vigil over the sacred place throughout the day. When sunset came, both Dende and Kyloa were ready and waiting with large white robes for the new Chi warriors. As they waited for the warriors to appear, Kyloa was suddenly gripped by a chilling thought. What if neither of them passed this final test?

A low rumbling in the earth suddenly disturbed her thoughts. Out of the ground suddenly rose Piccolo and Sixteen. They were both glowing with a strange aura. Unable to speak, they were only able to listen as a voice spoke in their minds. It was a voice unlike anything Piccolo had heard before. So beautiful and serene, yet with an undertone of wildness and violence to it. As he thought about it, Piccolo realized it sounded very much like nature manifested into her voice and being.

The way she spoke was as peculiar as it sounded. She didn't speak in any language that they knew. She didn't even seem to be making any sounds. There was just the sense of some otherworldly presence in their minds. But somehow, in their minds, she made them understand . . .

"You are now Chi warriors. The mark you bear upon your shoulders makes it so. I have great faith in your abilities and know you will be able to save us all."

As the voice faded so did the glowing aura. Blinking, Piccolo and Sixteen were finally able to move on their own. Their friends, who had been standing back while they were listening to the Earth, rushed forward to greet them.

"Look, Piccolo! You have a tattoo just like us! You too, Sixteen!" exclaimed Gohan. He was pleased his mentor had made it out okay.

"You're one of us now!" pronounced Goku.

Piccolo glanced at his shoulder to discover they were right. And that was when he noticed it. He was nude. His clothes had disappeared. So had Sixteen's. Piccolo also noticed there was something wrong with his body. The others noticed as well.

"Oh my gosh!" cried Gohan blushing.

"Piccolo! You have a dick!" blurted out Goku, too stunned to be embarrassed. It was true. Somehow, Piccolo had acquired a set of reproductive organs. And he didn't seem too happy about it either.

Dende was so shocked he dropped the robe he was carrying. Recovering himself, he quickly handed the robe to Sixteen, who accepted it politely. Cheeks burning a deep red, Kyloa discreetly averted her gaze as she held out a robe for Piccolo to take. Then Dende pointed out something else. "That's not all that's changed. You have a tattoo upon your chest as well."

Dende was right. Upon Piccolo's left breast was a tattoo they had never seen before. It was a teardrop in a shade of green much darker than his skin. In its center was a dot the color of dried blood. Upon seeing it, Kyloa let out a small gasp and dropped the robe. Piccolo had refused to take it anyway. Instead he quickly used his power to ensemble himself in his usual turban, cape, and fighting gi.

"What is the meaning of this?" growled Piccolo, obviously in a bad temper over having his physiology changed. He had noticed Kyloa's reaction to the strange tattoo and was worried about what it meant.

Clearing her throat, Kyloa attempted to explain. "Um, well, you see, uh . . ." Piccolo glowered at her impatiently, instilling fear and making her more nervous. Kyloa turned her back to them and tried to explain again. "I couldn't warn you about what might happen. You must go into the Earth having no knowledge. But sometimes when the Earth has a hold of a Chi warrior or another being, she sees it fit to change them. She told me be beforehand that she was going to change Android 16. To make him part human, like Android 18, so he could have a family if he wants to. It is a gift, a reward. I had no idea she was going to change you as well. I am sorry. She must have kept it a secret but why, I don't know."

Piccolo scowled. He knew she was lying about the last part. She knew why. But she was afraid to tell for some reason. "What about the mark on my chest?"

Kyloa kept her back turn, unable to face him. "I cannot tell you what the mark means. She has given you a private mission. It is for you to figure out."

Piccolo growled and stepped forward. Placing his hands upon her shoulders, he forced Kyloa to turn around and face him. "And how am I supposed to do that?"

Although facing him, Kyloa refused to look into his eyes. "The Earth will give you clues as time goes by. You must watch for them. If you take too long, she might just out right tell you what it is. But the mission is optional. You do not have to follow through with it if you don't want to."

She finally looked up and Piccolo saw that there were tears in her eyes. "Please let me go. You're scaring me." Her voice shook and one tear slipped out to slide down her cheek.

Feelings stirred within and Piccolo was suddenly sorry he had been so furious with her. But he still wanted answers and he could sense she knew something. He involuntarily squeezed her shoulders tighter, not noticing her wince. Embyr hissed from nearby and prepared to pounce. Kyloa lifted a hand, silently commanding her to stay as Piccolo spoke again. "There's something you're not telling me. And I want to know what it is."

Goku stepped forward and placed a restraining hand on Piccolo's shoulder. "Enough, Piccolo. Let her go. Can't you see you're hurting her? I know you're angry and that you feel violated at having your body changed without your permission but she's not the one responsible for it. She had no idea her mother would do this."

Piccolo shook Goku's hand off him. He knew he was right but he didn't want to admit it. Slowly he took his hands off her and watched as she took several steps away from him. Awkwardly, she rubbed her shoulders and Piccolo realized how hard he had been squeezing her. Feeling angry with himself, he quickly turned and headed for the forest. Byrn tried to follow him but he quickly ordered him to stay behind. He needed time alone.

Two days had passed with no sign of hair or hide of Piccolo or his whereabouts. It was late at night and everyone was asleep except for Android 16. His dragon, Zek, slept silently on a branch above. Although like him in many ways, including not talking much, he still needed more sleep than he did. But they were both alert and awake when they heard a low voice say, "Quiet, rogue. You're going to give us away."

A few moments later, Sixteen saw a large dark figure emerge from the trees, a bright green dragon perched on its shoulder. From his angle, the figure couldn't see him but he could see the figure. And he knew who it was. Revealing himself to it, he said, "So. You have decided to return."

The figure turned to him and one look at his face confirmed what Sixteen already knew. It was Piccolo. When Piccolo saw him, he snorted. Not being able to sense Androids was annoying. "Yes. I have. There is not much time left for us to train before Frozena arrives."

Sixteen nodded and then turned his head towards the cottage where Goku and Gohan were sleeping. "They were worried about you." Piccolo had no answer to that. They knew better than to worry about him. "So was Kyloa." That surprised him.

"Why was she worried about me?" asked Piccolo.

Sixteen studied him. No one ever knew what exactly Sixteen thought about but they all knew he observed more than most people did. "She feels guilty about what the Earth did to you. She felt guilty about me 'til I reassured her that I was grateful. And I am grateful."

Piccolo noticed his last statement but decided not to comment on it. "Her feeling guilty is foolish."

Sixteen averted his gaze to the stars above them. "Maybe you should tell her that. She hasn't slept since the day we became Chi warriors and you know how much power she used that day. She needs rest."

Piccolo frowned and looked out towards the meadow. Anticipating his question, Sixteen said, "She had been meditating in the meadow. But she disappeared into the river a little while ago. I don't know where she went."

"I do." Turning, Piccolo walked back into the forest, leaving Sixteen to wonder. It took awhile but he was able to retrace the way to the clearing with the immense waterfall. And there she was, sitting on a rock outcropping just above the waterfall. She wasn't meditating or sleeping. Just sitting. But she must have been deep in thought for she didn't notice Piccolo 'til he was floating in the air in front of her. She gave a little gasp and scrambled back a few inches but was forced to stop when she reached the edge of the rock. Regaining her composure, she stood up to face him as he floated there before her. Unbeknownst to them, Embyr and Byrn were perched in bushes nearby, eavesdropping.

Piccolo scrutinized her and realized Sixteen was right. Kyloa needed sleep. She was extremely pale and there were bags under her eyes, not to mention they were also bloodshot. Has she been crying? Piccolo leaned forward, capturing her eyes with his own. "You haven't been sleeping. And I bet you haven't been eating either."

Kyloa gulped and forced herself to stare back. Ignoring his comments about her health, she instead asked about him. "Are you all right? I truly am sorry. I don't understand why she did what she did but I - "

Piccolo put a finger to her lips, instantly silencing her. His action surprised himself as well as her. Pulling his hand away, he said quietly, "I don't hold you responsible. And although I would have rather not to have my body altered without my permission, I have accepted it. What's done is done. There's nothing anyone can do about it now."

Kyloa lowered her eyes from his gaze. But Piccolo seemed to see right through her, though she tried to hide it. Reaching forward, Piccolo used his hand to tilt her chin upward. "You still feel guilty."

A belligerent look came into her eyes as he said those words. Piccolo sighed. Her guilt could wait. Right now, he needed to get her to a tree. "I would spend the time to convince you differently but you are obviously in no condition for a serious discussion. You need to sleep."

Kyloa pulled away from his grasp and began backing up again. "There's no need to show concern for me. I -" She was cut off as she reached the rock's edge and lost her balance. She fell, too shocked and tired to scream. But she only fell a few feet before Piccolo caught her. Adjusting her weight in his arms, he floated closer to the ground but he didn't set her down.

"You can put me down now," Kyloa whispered.

"I don't think so. Not until you agree that if I set you down, you'll go straight into a tree and let yourself regenerate," replied Piccolo, tightening his grip. "You are in no condition to argue."

Kyloa struggled in his arms and became frightened at how weak she was. She sighed in resignation. "I agree."

"Good." Setting down on the ground, Piccolo quickly headed to the nearest tree and leaned her up against it. Several moments passed as Kyloa gathered strength to change. He eyed her worriedly. "Will you be able to change?"

Kyloa glanced at him with an unreadable look in her eyes as her limbs slowly became bark. "Of course. It is much easier to become part of a plant or dirt than air, water or fire. Especially fire. Even if I was near death and couldn't change, Kaachi would reach out and pull me into her. She's determined not to let me die until I fulfill my task. She's very protective of her children, remember?"

"Yeah," Piccolo replied. "I remember." On his last syllable, Kyloa slipped completely into the tree, her unreadable eyes the last to disappear.