Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Errant Exile ❯ Looking Out to See Within ( Chapter 8 )

Errant Exile

Chapter 7: "Looking Out to See Within"

"Something has definitely happened..." - Gohan

Rolling, dark clouds obscured the afternoon sun and promised a showy display of thunderstorms, but they paled in comparison to the tumultuous conditions in Piccolo's mind. "Damn!" he swore for the hundredth time since leaving Khri at the hotel, hands clenched into fists as he flew towards the Lookout. While he could instantaneously transport by using Dende's chi as an anchor he wanted time to think. He needed to meditate, if only to clear his head and sort out his thoughts, but time and events hadn't provided an opportunity.

Gohan had been right about one thing; talking to Khri about their mutual history sooner rather than later had been very good advice. She had allayed his worst fears in a manner that wasn't insulting or embarrassing. Not only wasn't she angry with him for his terrible behavior as a child, she concocted a plausible yet simple cover story to shield him from uncomfortable questions about his behavior at Goku's house. Khri's compassion and immediate acceptance of him as something other than a monster astonished him. Her angry reaction at the terrified shoppers had thrown him into an uncomfortable quandary. Was she trying to make him feel better by acting as if the humans had been frightened by her, or was she really that naive? Neither answer seemed to fit.

Piccolo snarled in sheer frustration. She's nothing like Bulma or ChiChi, so how am I supposed to know what to expect from her? She doesn't act like either of them! Confrontations with Vegeta and Goku's wives had taught him one thing; avoid them at all costs. Both women were noisy, bossy, domineering and demanding. ChiChi had hated him for years and had only recently come to tolerate his presence less than a hundred miles from her family. Gohan's wife Videl seemed pleasant enough - for a female - but he didn't know her that well. To her credit Khri had yet to raise her voice, and her requests to him had been exactly that, requests asked in a manner that was impeccably polite. Even his challenge to fight had been met with cool logic. His demand had been a hollow one, something he'd concocted to throw her off balance. It hadn't worked. Dammit, that girl wasn't easy to intimidate!

I need to stop thinking of her as a girl right now, Piccolo thought determinedly. There was no way of knowing exactly how old Khri was, but she definitely looked the same as she did three decades ago. Not just Nameks had long natural life spans; Saiyans lived longer than humans and aged more gracefully. There was something about Khri, her eyes, her precise manner of speaking, and the way she carried herself that implied she was old, far older than he wanted to think about. He had found himself relying more on Kami's wisdom than his own in their conversations, especially when it came to the topic of Kaio interference in mortal life. Thinking of her as a "girl" would make him inclined to underestimate her, and that was something he had no intention of doing.

To Piccolo's disgust, neither Nail nor Kami's memories had yielded any information about Khri or her race. His best hope had been with Nail, who had acted as Guru's attendant and protector for several years, but had no memory of her. Nail had been fairly young when he'd persuaded Piccolo into fusing with him, so it was entirely possible that Khri's visit came before his hatching. Kami's memories were just as useless; he'd come to Earth as a child and didn't even know he was Namekian until Vegeta and Nappa had arrived. That also meant the archives in the Temple wouldn't hold any hints or clues. No, his last hope lay with Dende. Now a capable young adult, Dende had been a child when he'd left New Namek to accept the position of Earth's Guardian. Secretly Piccolo doubted Dende would be of much help either, but he had known Guru so there was a chance the Great Elder may have passed along some information before his death.

In the distance, obscured by a curtain of heavy rain, Piccolo could make out Master Karin's tower. Cold water droplets pummeled him from all sides as he shot up, past the old cat's sanctuary, plowing through the lightning-laced clouds. The sky brightened quickly and he broke through the cloud deck into an endless sea of brilliant blue and warm sun.

Cracked and worn with age, the Lookout's white tile sides and the golden domed roof of the Temple glared in the sunlight. Piccolo used a small bit of chi to dry his clothing as he cleared the side. He set down halfway between the twin lines of palm trees.

Dende was already waiting for him, his ever-present shadow, Mr. Popo, at his side. "Piccolo, I'm glad you came," the younger Namekian said quietly as he walked up. "I was going to wait until tomorrow and then ask you to come here if I hadn't heard from you."

Piccolo looked down at him. What does he know already? "Why?" he asked bluntly.

"I saw two streaks of light in the sky last night, one behind the other and both headed East. I know they weren't meteorites." Dende was visibly nervous. "At first I was afraid it was more Saiyans hunting for Goku or Vegeta, but I haven't been able to sense any chi." He almost smiled. "Earth doesn't have a good record of attracting friendly visitors."

"You can stop worrying, Dende," Piccolo said quietly. "It wasn't Saiyans. We do have a visitor though."

"Wh...what? Piccolo, who is it? What do you know you aren't telling me?" Dende's nervousness disappeared and was replaced by determination. Mr. Popo's gaze traveled worriedly between the Guardian and the fighter.

"Have you ever heard of a race called the Leonids?"

Dende's expression changed to one of surprise, then deep thought. "Leonids? I don't think so...have you, Mr. Popo?"

The genie shook his head. "No, Kami-Sama. No Kami of old ever spoke of it."

Desperate for even the smallest bit of information, Piccolo prompted, "what about Great Elder Guru? Did he mention them?" He sighed. "I know for a fact that Nail never heard of them, let alone met one. Kami's memories are just as worthless."

"Guru never did, but...Muri!" Dende's eyes widened as he met Piccolo's gaze. "He mentioned them! It was the day Freeza came." He wilted a bit at that awful memory. "When Freeza's ships first appeared in the sky Scargo and I were with Muri, working in the gardens. Muri looked up and asked, 'have the Leonids returned?,' and he certainly didn't sound upset by the idea. In fact he seemed a little excited, even happy...until we found out who our visitors really were. I'd completely forgotten about it after that."

Piccolo snorted, but not in anger or irritation. Dende's forgetfulness of such small details was understandable in light of the violence of that day. If his description of Muri's reaction was correct, then the new Great Elder might have a lot to tell them. He must have had a reason to be happy at the idea of a visit from Leonids. "Dende, I'd like you to contact Muri and find out what he knows. Ask him if he remembers a Leonid named Khri."

Dende frowned slightly. "Piccolo, you seem to know an awful lot about what's going on. I would appreciate it if you would tell me what you know."

"I know quite a bit, but I'd like your opinion before I give you mine. Are you up for a guest?"

The Guardian smiled. "Of course! It does get a little lonely up here - no offense, Mr. Popo! - and its been a while since Bulma's last party. Do you really think he'll come if you asked? You don't mind bringing him up here?"

Piccolo couldn't hide a small half-grin. "Khri is female."

"Female!" Dende gasped. He began walking towards the Temple, shaking his head. "I'd never met a female or even knew what they were until I met Bulma on Old Namek. I never thought I'd meet others, but then I came to Earth."

"Khri is nothing like the females you've already met, and as much as I've been ferrying her around I'm damned grateful." She had been a wonderfully silent, uncomplaining and cooperative traveling companion...not that he'd want her flying with him on a regular basis. "She's a warrior, Dende." I have to be careful what I say. Dende doesn't need to know our 'history.' He gave the Guardian a short version of what had happened the night before, from the crash to Khri's fight with the Telkarri to Vegeta's interference, making sure he left his own feelings and thoughts out of the tale. He also gave a brief description of 'blackfire' which left Dende stumped.

"I've never heard of such a thing! I didn't know there was an opposite of chi!" His face fell in disappointment. "But there's a lot of things I've never heard of..."

Piccolo went so far as to place a reassuring hand on the younger Namek's shoulder. "Could there be anything in the archives? Maybe the information is so old its been there all along, just forgotten."

The suggestion seemed to cheer him a little. "I'll look this afternoon. If I find anything, I will let you know. I'll ask Muri about it, too when I contact him." He left Piccolo behind as he entered the shadows of the Temple's pavilion, but he could be heard muttering, "I wonder if Khri knows how to play poker? We'd only need one more hand since Piccolo won't play...when will you be bringing her here?"

"As soon as she'll agree to it. I have a feeling it won't be long."

Piccolo watched as Dende retreated, Mr. Popo dutifully trailing along behind him. Long ago he'd come to the conclusion that Dende had something in common with Gohan; both were scholars at heart. The young Guardian would bury himself in the archives until he found what he was looking for, or thirst or other needs drove him out. Satisfied that the Lookout's resources were being put to good use, Piccolo remembered the small envelope he'd tucked into his belt. Khri hadn't bothered to seal it so he shook out the paper and took a close look. Written in neat, block handwriting was her name and a telephone number, which he promptly memorized. Khri had rented the penthouse for an indefinite period of time so he wasn't certain the number was of lasting value, but he didn't think she would object to him having it. He refolded the stationery, tucked it back into the envelope and then back into his belt. I guess its time to play delivery boy, he sighed irritably, launching himself back into the sky and the clouds far below.

"Mama! Where's my new gi? I want to show Daddy!"

Setting his briefcase by the front door, Gohan grinned as Pan's piping voice echoed down the stairway, followed by her hurried footsteps. "Daddy, Mama and Grandma and I went shopping today! I got a new gi!" She hugged him tightly, almost jumping on his feet with excitement.

Videl appeared from the kitchen, a tired but welcoming smile on her face. "What she won't tell you is that I got her a few new school clothes and shoes, and that she was an absolute terror at lunch. All she wanted to do was go to the martial arts supply store for the gi. Your mother promised to buy her one if she finished her lunch and even that bribe almost wasn't enough."

"You were a terror, Pan?" Gohan tousled her thick, black hair and she giggled. "I would never have imagined it!"

"Here's the gi, Pan," Videl said, handing her a small shopping bag. "Why don't you go try it on while I talk to your Daddy for a few minutes?"

Gohan waited until Pan had danced back upstairs with her prize before he asked Videl, "did Piccolo's friend Khri go with you? It doesn't sound like it."

Videl winced, pushing her hair over her shoulder. "Your mother was furious with Piccolo! She accused him of 'kidnapping' Khri this morning before she could ask!"

"What?" Gohan stared at her in shock. "I know Piccolo was nervous about confronting her, but I can't believe he'd resort to such a thing as kidnapping!"

"I don't think the story is exactly how ChiChi would like us to believe," Videl replied, a sly look on her face. "She'd been fighting with Goku because he was leaving to resume training with Uub. When she started throwing the cookware Khri snuck out the door. Piccolo had spent the night outside their house and was probably still there this morning when Khri left. ChiChi, of course, is blaming Piccolo for taking off with her houseguest."

Gohan visibly relaxed. "So, given Mom's mood, the 'kidnapping' was probably voluntary." He chuckled. "Who knows? Maybe she did Piccolo a favor after all. Maybe he's talked with Khri and everything has worked out. I know I haven't heard from him since late last night." He felt a twinge of guilt; he'd told Videl about his conversation with Piccolo. He felt a little like he'd betrayed his friend's confidence, but he wanted a feminine opinion and Videl's was usually very trustworthy. "Piccolo hasn't shown up here, has he?"

"I was out the rest of the afternoon after we left Pan's recital and you went back to work," she said. "I haven't been home long. I do have dinner in the works, though." She kissed him, then disappeared back into the kitchen.

Removing his jacket, Gohan sighed as he went to the bedroom to change his clothes. There was a time not too many years ago when he couldn't have imagined such a tranquil life. Buu, in one form or another, was on a murdering rampage that nothing seemed to slow down. Memories of those days made his life with his family that much more precious to him except for one continuing regret; his lack of time with Piccolo.

The last thing Gohan wanted to do was neglect his teacher, idol and friend, but life and responsibility had made available time to spend with the big green warrior more and more scarce. They would spar now and then, for old time's sake, but Gohan felt his real fighting days were long over. Even at the age of four he'd known he didn't want to be a fighter but the arrival of Raditz had changed all that. Piccolo hadn't bothered to take on another student and, according to Dende, had been spending more and more time alone. Gohan wasn't worried that Piccolo, left to himself, would regress back into his old, evil ways or revive his goal of conquering the world. He just hated to see the Namekian drift away into a half-life of self-imposed solitude or, even worse, feel he wasn't wanted or needed anymore. But I don't know what I can do about it! He doesn't take suggestions well and if I ask him too many personal questions he gets angry!

Now wearing jeans and a comfortable old tee shirt, Gohan headed for the kitchen when the doorbell rang. "I'll get it!" he shouted to Videl and changed course. "I wouldn't be surprised if it's Goten, afraid to go home for dinner if Mom is still angry."

The visitor wasn't Goten. Towering over the threshold was the subject of Gohan's worry, which he quickly threw aside in favor of a huge smile. "Piccolo! I'm glad to see you!" he said with total honesty, grabbing the Namekian by the wrist and pulling him inside. "I was hoping you would show up!" he said as he purposefully shut the door.

Instead of looking at him skeptically, Piccolo actually smiled. "I've got something for you to pass along to ChiChi." He pulled a small, white envelope from his belt and handed it over. "It's Khri's telephone number at the Continental. I don't know how long she will be staying there, but she'll probably let me know if there's a change."

Gohan couldn't help quirk an eyebrow as he opened the envelope. She'll let him know? Now this is interesting! He hid a grin behind a cough and nodded. "The Continental, eh? I'll be sure to call Mom with the number tonight. Maybe I'll get lucky and Goten will answer the phone." He glanced back at the kitchen, listening for the sounds of dishes clattering. "Videl told me Mom is furious that you 'kidnapped' her house guest," he said quietly. "I take it you were able to have a talk with Khri and got things worked out?"

Piccolo snorted at the 'kidnapping' allegation. "I took your advice. You were right. Khri is...well...I don't know what she is yet. I haven't made up my mind." He assumed the posture Gohan always interpreted as 'this is the end of the discussion.' He assumed that one a lot.

Videl's face suddenly peered around the corner. "Piccolo, I thought I heard your voice! You'll stay for dinner, won't you? I know you drink tea on occasion but we've got water if you'd prefer that."

"Yay! Mr. Piccolo!" Pan's footsteps thundered down the stairs again. She now wore an orange gi that looked suspiciously familiar even without the turtle badge. "You're going to stay, right Mr. Piccolo?"

Piccolo stared down at the little girl who barely reached his knees. Gohan watched him a moment and noticed his attention seemed to be far away, as if he were seeing a memory. Finally the tall man smiled and, like Pan's father had earlier, ruffled her hair. "Sure, kid. Just for a little while."

Something has definitely happened between now and last night, Gohan thought. I have got to meet Khri and find out what it is...

To Be Continued...