Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Slayer Mine ❯ A New Watcher ( Chapter 3 )

He'd been standing over her for the last four hours. The hotel he'd checked them into was small and cheap but at least everything looked and smelled clean. He'd put her in the bed and watched her sleep, fitfully, ever since they'd arrived. She hadn't fully awoken once, only tossed in and out of dreams that he could tell by her thrashing weren't all candy and roses.

He'd turned away for a moment, just a split second, when she woke up. He turned around to see her standing on the bed, crouched down defensively, one of her sharpened stakes in her hand. She was breathing heavily and glancing around, reminding him of a cornered animal. He tried to smile but with his fangs it made him look even more terrifying and she raised the stake higher.

"W-where am I?" She asked in a voice that shook in spite of her brave front, she narrowed her eyes, "Who are you?"

"I am called Piccolo." He said, making sure to keep his voice calm and soothing, hoping to ease her fears, "I brought you here to keep you safe."

"Why?" She asked, not moving, her features suspecious, "What's in it for you?"

He shrugged, not knowing himself. "It just…seemed the thing to do."

"Y-your not going to kill me?" She asked, undoubtly thinking of demons who needed slayer blood in some ancient rite or some such thing, "Or I should say, try."

He raised an eye ridge and regarded her coolly, "If that had been my aim, girl, you'd be dead now."

She did not reply and all of a sudden a basket appeared from nowhere in his hand, he held it out to her and placed it on the floor and backed away where she did not move to take it.

"What's this?" She asked, keeping her eyes on him as she jumped off the bed and reached down for the basket. Lifting the clothe which covered the top her eyes widened her head, "Food! How did you…?"

"Nevermind." Piccolo said, "I know you are hungry. You haven't eaten since yesterday morning when you found that half a hamburger someone had thrown out."

"You've been following me!" She accused, but her stomach growled loudly and her mouth was near to watering. She grabbed the a piece of chicken and started eating, sitting down crossed-legged on the floor, the stake in her lap between her legs, "I should kill you for that."

"Well," He smiled, "You can certainly try."

"If I weren't so hungry," She said between bites, "I would!"

"I'll keep that in mind." Piccolo said, folding his arms across his chest, "You have not told me your name, yet."

"I'm still debating if I should or not." She wiped the grease from her face with the sleeve of her sweater, streaking dirt across her face, "I don't believe you brought me here and fed me out of the kindness of your heart. Everyone uses everyone. No one tells the whole truth…"

"Like I said; I don't know why I saved you." He said, "It was almost as if…I had no choice…"

"Hmmm." She bit into a roll, eating fast as if she feared the food would be taken from her like some cruel joke, "You saved me…? Oh, right. The roof."

"You were trying to kill yourself."

She nodded, not denying it.

"Why?" He asked, confused and watching her, "You have a phenomenal strength and power. I've seen you fight. Why would you wish to…"

"To off myself?" She shrugged, looked at him through the curtain of her ragged, unwashed dark hair, "It just seemed the thing to do."

"You are the most…odd…girl I have ever came across!" He said between clenched teeth, "You should be thankful I was there to save you!"

"So what!" She cried, throwing the basket against the wall, where it broke in half, she spun around to face him, her eyes blazing, "Did it ever occur to you that I did not want or need saving?"

"No." He said, "It did not. I…"

"Yeah, I know." She said, sighing, "You had no choice."

He nodded and she began gathering her backpack up and stuffing the stakes which had fallen out when Piccolo'd dropped it in the corner upon arriving with the girl passed out in his arms a few hours before. She sighed and sat down on the bed, after counting the contents of her backpack to be certain everything was still there. She had precious little to her name, but what she had was her's and if she wasn't going to die she'd rather keep her stuff.

"Giselle." She said quietly, almost under her breath. She looked up at him. "You asked my name. It's Giselle."

"You kill monsters." He said, recalling watching her do just that.

"I am the slayer." She nodded, confirming his words, "It's sorta my…job."

"Don't you have to be alive to do it?"

She shrugged again. "If I die, then a new slayer will be born to take over. It's no big deal. Slayers die all the time...it's a hazard of the job and title."

"But not sucide surely!"

"No…mostly they're done in by the very monsters…vampires…demons…they're trying to destroy." She said, "A careless moment and bang! Endsville."

"But what you do is important, Giselle." He said, "Maybe you don't know exactly how important."

"Spare me." She rolled her eyes, folding her arms under her breasts, "I've heard the `This is your Destiny blah blah' routine ever since I found out what I was…my last Watcher never failed to remind me every fucking chance he got!"

"Watcher?" Piccolo asked, not understanding her, what the hell was she babbling about?

"Yeah." She said, "They're sorta like...trainers. Each slayer is assigned a Watcher to train her and help her understand her powers and duty and well…watch."

He nodded, that made a great deal of sense to him. He wondered where her Watcher was and why she'd mentioned he was her `last' Watcher. How many had she had and what had happened to them? He voiced his query and she shrugged again. He was coming to expect that gesture from her.

"My first was killed." She said, "I was untrained and stupid. The vamp caught me off-guard. He was going for me but…my Watcher jumped in the way...trying to protect me, I guess." She shuddered and went on; "I've had three since, and they've all died…because of me…I don't do Watchers anymore…I won't be held responsible for any more deaths. Well, other than vamps and demons, of course, but they don't count."

"I think I know why I was meant to save you, Giselle." He said, just realizing this himself. The more he thought of it, the more sense it seemed to make. He was almost certain of it! "Your fighting skills are impressive, but I can tell your training was never completed…"

"They all died before I could…"

"Yes, I can help you finish your training." He said, "I can instruct you in how to hone your fighting skill and strength to it's highest degree."

"You?" She asked, chewing on her lip and thinking, "My Watcher?"

"It seems so." He said, "There is a reason for everything, Giselle."

"But...I…don't do Watchers." She said, "They have a bad habit of biting the big one around me."

"That won't happen again." Piccolo said sternly, "Trust me."

She appeared to think for a few moments, as if weighing his words in her mind. She did need instruction…and…

"You'll have a warm place to sleep and food anytime you wish." He said, knowing that would be a better lure in which to tempt her with.

"Fine." She said at last, "Whatever."

"We'll begin by you showing me some respect." He said, glaring down at her, "No more of your insolence, Giselle."

Her eyes widened, but she kept quiet. Maybe he was right. Maybe things did happen for a reason. Maybe this one wouldn't leave her…

Maybe.