Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ The One Who Comforts ❯ Understanding? ( Chapter 5 )

Disclaimer: I don't own DBZ or any of its characters.

 

Chapter 5-Understanding?

 

A month had passed and life continued to go on inside the Son household. To an outsider who had no idea what the previous dichotomy of the family that made up the household had been like prior to Goku's death, the almost utter normalcy of life would seem like a sacrilege. That the inhabitants within the household seemed to have forgotten the existence of the alpha within their makeup less than six months since his unfortunate death would seem disturbing. Yet, that wasn't the case at all.

 

Chi-Chi did not really understand it herself. For the first time in months, no years, the aching emptiness that was left inside her heart whenever Goku would leave her to fulfill a mission or simply because he needed the freedom to roam about without the constraints of a family was…gone. She hadn't realized the fact that she was no longer hurting in that particular way until a few days ago. The change inside her had been so gradual, it had crept up on her without warning until she woke up one morning with the awareness that she hadn't cried over Goku's abandonment in over a period spanning about a month. And the emptiness was being filled by something else…

 

It wasn't that she didn't think about Goku. In fact, she thought about him quite regularly, and most of that had to do with the daily reminders of his previous existence, which she carried deep inside her body, as well as her interactions with Gohan. Often times, whenever she was alone working on some mundane project around the house, she would find herself wondering what he was doing in Otherworld. Did he ever think about her and Gohan? Had he discovered that he was soon to have another child? What would he say to her should they meet again? And more importantly, what would he do if he knew…

 

She stopped herself from finishing that particular question. It was something that was both new and terrifying to her and she was trying her best to not think about it. Firming her lips into a thin line as an outward attempt to force her mind to comply with her wishes, she stood up from where she was seated at her sewing desk in the downstairs living area. Pushing back her chair, she put the pieces of cloth she had cut out back on the table and walked over to the old wood stove. If anything, getting up and moving around usually helped to relieve tension and rid herself of unwanted and stupid thoughts.

 

Reaching the wood stove, she opened the door, feeling the heat from the inside on the cloth of her dress as it soaked through to the skin beneath it. Grabbing the first easily accessible piece from the tall pile of wood next to the stove, she shoved it inside, followed by several more pieces of wood. Once she was satisfied that the stove was full, she used the poker to shift the wood around and then she shut the furnace door with a bang, latching it tightly before she backed away.

 

The abnormally warm weather they had had in the middle of September had suddenly shifted, bringing with it the autumn that had seemed like it would never come. The temperatures around Mount Pazou had dropped until it necessitated starting up the old wood stove. Normally, Goku would have been the one to go out and harvest old trees to feed the furnace, but Gohan and…and Piccolo had taken over that task.

 

In fact, it had been Piccolo's idea to bring part of the woodpile inside the house next to the stove so that she wouldn't have to make numerous trips outside and put a strain on her visibly pregnant body. And it had been his idea to have Gohan continually refill the pile inside so that she didn't have to bend over to pick up pieces of wood, should she be the only one at home when the stove needed to be restocked. It was this…this thoughtfulness of his coupled with a growing understanding deep within her that was starting to make her wonder about a great many things concerning Piccolo. Certainly, he was trying to fulfill his promise to make sure she was taking care of herself for Gohan's sake, but she was starting to think that there was something more behind his motives besides the obvious. Of course, she could also be making something insignificant into something much larger than it actually was.

 

It also didn't help that she was developing…

 

Shaking her head resolutely, she once again tried to stop herself from thinking the ridiculous. Walking back over to her sewing table, she ran her hands over the soft fabric she was using to create a few new baby outfits for Gohan's new brother or sister. Staring out the window, watching the fallen leaves from the trees around their home swirl and blow across the dying grass, she absently thought about how things would change once again when the baby was born.

 

Once the baby was born…Piccolo's personal obligation would disappear she supposed, and with that, his presence around the home she shared with Gohan would also diminish. She doubted he would completely leave them alone, but it would be more centered on his interaction with Gohan than with her. Still, there was no requirement or necessity for him to have such an expanded role. However, it was foolish to deny the fact that once she got used to having him around so often, she had grown to enjoy interacting with him. He had become…a friend.

 

Shaking her head, she wondered why it was she couldn't stop thinking about him as of late. In truth, she had her suspicions as to why, but those thoughts were even more disturbing than the rather innocent assumption on her part that Piccolo was only a friend to her. Biting her bottom lip, she pulled her hand away from the fabric and then picked up her knitting basket. If there was anything that could help relax her and her overactive imagination, it was knitting.

 

Moving slowly across the room, she settled herself into the rocking chair her father had made her when she had first told him that she and Goku were expecting their first child. That had been years ago, yet the chair contained so many memories and it seemed to fit her form better now that she was pregnant once again. Stroking the smooth, darkening walnut of the chair's rounded arm with her arm, she pulled out her knitting needles and yarn with the other. In a few moments, she was leaning her head against the high back of the chair, rocking it slightly with her feet as she continued working on the knitting project she had started a few weeks previously. Right after the day she had had that strange dream about Goku and woke up with Piccolo in her face.

 

“Stop thinking about Piccolo.” She muttered aloud to herself, picking up her knitting speed with vengeance. This never-ending battle with her brain had to stop. First it had been Goku and now it was…argh!

 

Heaving out a deep breath, she dropped her knitting into her lap and rubbed her forehead with her hands. She had to stop. She had to. For one thing, those thoughts were pointless, and for another, they were rather annoying.

 

Rocking back and forth in her chair, she started chanting to herself as a means to physically clear her brain of those things that were disturbing and slightly scary.

 

“Stop, stop, stop, stop, sto…”

 

“Chi-Chi!”

 

Jumping slightly in her chair, she dropped her hands back into her lap and looked up with a startled expression on her face. Standing a few feet in front of her was none other than Bulma, and the look on her face showed clear surprise and confusion over her strange behavior.

 

Dropping the black bag she was carrying, Chi-Chi watched as the woman slowly walked over to where she was seated, extending her hand out so that her cool palm was touching her forehead.

 

“It doesn't seem like you have a fever. Are you…okay? What's going on?”

 

She waited until Bulma removed her hand before she spoke up.

 

“I'm fine.” She could see instantly by Bulma's raised eyebrow that the other woman didn't believe her at all. Frowning, she sat up straighter in her chair and glared at her uninvited guest.

 

“I'm fine Bulma, so don't give me that look. I get enough of those from Piccolo.”

 

“Then why, pray tell, were you rocking back in forth in your chair, holding your head and chanting `stop' to yourself? That didn't look normal at all to me.”

 

With that said, Chi-Chi could tell Bulma wasn't just going to let the conversation go especially when she leaned into one leg and crossed her arms underneath her breasts.

Letting out a sigh of inevitability, she decided the best thing to do to get Bulma off of her case would be to tell her the truth, at least partially. After all, she didn't need to know what or whom it was she was trying to stop thinking about.

 

“I was just trying to stop thinking about something that's been plaguing me all day long. I'm sure you've had those moments when you get a thought stuck in your head, and it keeps playing over and over again like a broken record? Well, I've tried working it out by doing other things, but I haven't gotten anything accomplished because it won't leave me alone.”

 

“Oh.”

 

She was fairly sure that Bulma hadn't expected to get an answer out of her quite so fast without an inordinate amount of badgering. However, the slightly shocked look across Bulma's face started to dissipate, being replaced with a rather knowing smile.

 

“I think I see…Chi-Chi. But hey, you don't have to spill the beans to me if you don't want to. But if you do…I totally think you are deserving of having happiness in your life, if you get my meaning.”

 

At first, Chi-Chi didn't `get' Bulma's meaning. At least, not until the devious corporate heiress gave her a very sly and over the top wink before she picked up the black bag she had dropped on the floor when she had walked in on Chi-Chi, thinking her friend was having a mental breakdown.

 

Sputtering in embarrassment and fear of her preoccupied thoughts being discovered, she tried to dissuade Bulma from her current train of thought. Standing up as quickly as her pregnant body would allow, she stepped over to where Bulma had moved and was pulling out the capsules from her slim, black bag. Grabbing her arm, she pulled her around so that her dark brown eyes where peering into Bulma's crystal blue ones.

 

“It's not what you think! I've only ever intended on having Goku in my life, no one else.”

 

Crinkling her eyes in concern, Bulma placed her free hand on Chi-Chi's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze. She tried to reassure her that she didn't think Chi-Chi would be doing anything bad if she moved on in her life, keeping her good memories of Goku while making new ones with someone else, if that were the case. She hadn't meant to upset her friend in the least, and in reality, she had only been teasing her to begin with to snap her out of the strange funk she had been in when she had walked through the door. It wasn't that she thought Chi-Chi couldn't find somebody to replace Goku. However, since she lived out in the middle of nowhere, miles from the nearest town with no way to get their except by using her own two feet, she found it highly unlikely that the woman would find somebody this quickly after Goku's death. Obviously, however, by Chi-Chi's frightened reaction, that wasn't exactly the case and Bulma's curiosity was instantly peaked.

“Calm down Chi-Chi. I don't want you to get excited over my teasing, especially when you're so heavily pregnant. I know you aren't due for a couple of months yet, but…I didn't mean to upset you.”

 

Gently pushing away from her friend, Bulma turned back to her capsules, humming a slightly out of tune song as a way to reassure Chi-Chi she hadn't meant anything by her teasing. She could hear Chi-Chi backing away slightly, feeling the slight shift of the floorboards beneath her feet.

 

“Bulma, what are you doing here anyway?”

 

Glancing at over her shoulder to where Chi-Chi was standing uncomfortably, rubbing her arms, she gave the woman a mock dirty look before turning back to her materials in front of her.

 

“How could you forget? I called you last week to remind you I was coming to check up on you and the baby. Besides, you need to have visitors once in a while, living out here all by yourself with just Gohan hanging around and Piccolo doing whatever it is that Piccolo does.”

 

Smiling uncomfortably, Chi-Chi realized that she had forgotten about Bulma coming over, which was unusual for her. Bulma had become her makeshift doctor, even though the woman technically wasn't one. She did, however, have a vast amount of technology at her hands and she was extremely intelligent. And, more than anything else, she had agreed to help out Chi-Chi because she had been friends with Goku and because she also considered Chi-Chi to be a friend as well, even if they hadn't always gotten along or agreed with one another in the past. There was also the fact that they both had a common bond between each other: that the fathers of their perspective children were both full-blooded Saiyans. She had found somebody who understood what it was like to be abandoned, since Bulma had spent much of her pregnancy with Trunks alone when Vegeta had gone off into space to train. The only major difference between their relationships however was that Vegeta had decided to stay with the woman he had fathered a child with while Goku had left. Shaking off some of her slight melancholy, she sat down on the couch and waited for Bulma to finish setting things up before her appointment would begin.

 

“I'm sorry I forgot. I've just been preoccupied with other things lately.”

 

Bulma waved off her concern with a quick flick of her wrist.

 

“Don't worry about it. I'm here now, so why don't we get it over with so we can spend some quality girl bonding time together?”

 

Chi-Chi nodded her head in agreement, although she wasn't particularly keen on spending whatever girl bonding time Bulma had in mind. However, if it could relieve her of some of her uncomfortable thoughts of late, she would welcome the reprieve.

A few hours later…

 

The last rays of the sun's light disappeared behind the horizon as Piccolo and Gohan steadily flew towards the comfort and warmth of the small home they were headed towards, nestled in one of the numerous valleys that surrounded Mount Pazou.

 

The air was crisp as it whipped past both figures, ruffling Piccolo's white cape and tossing Gohan's black hair about as they flew. In a few minutes, they would be outside of the small house, and Piccolo would once again have to deal with the unsettling connection he was making with the woman who lived there.

 

He still couldn't understand whatever changes were happening to him. The fact remained that being around Chi-Chi was disturbing to him. Yet, even though he felt strange around her, not like himself at all, he couldn't stay away from her no matter how hard he tried. And he had tried. True, he had made a promise to look out for her for Gohan's sake, but that promise hadn't included checking on her when Gohan wasn't around or making daily trips to the tiny home in the remoteness of the wilderness just so he could see the aggravating female. So, for the span of about two weeks after the evening when she had unintentionally touched her lips to his, he had cut the amount of time he had been spending with Chi-Chi in half. However, even when he wasn't physically near her, he kept finding himself in that damn spot underneath his favorite tree watching her just as he had been doing ever since Goku had died, trying to figure out what it was she was doing to him. And when the weather had suddenly turned cold, the thought of the inviting warmth lead him to once again make frequent visits to the inside of the home his former rival had once dwelled within not that long ago.

 

“Piccolo?”

 

Hearing Gohan's voice as it blew past his large ears on the wind, he pulled his mind away from his pointless, circular musing that had been the same for the last month.

 

“What?”

 

“Why did we just fly over my house?”

 

Startled, he looked below and realized that they had indeed flown completely past Gohan and Chi-Chi's small home and were now almost on the other side of the looming mountain. Feeling extremely ridiculous, he started to grind his teeth in frustration while grunting out a noncommittal response to the boy flying alongside him. They continued flying in silence without turning back when Gohan's voice suddenly floated past his ears again.

 

“What's wrong with you? You've been acting strange lately Piccolo. First, you started to avoid my mother, and lately…I don't know. I can't put my finger on it, but you just haven't been yourself. I know my mom can be scary and all…”

Gohan didn't have a chance to finish his thought before Piccolo interrupted him.

 

“That isn't it. I'm not afraid of your mother.”

 

He watched as Gohan slowed down his speed so that they were parallel to one another. He did not want to have this conversation with Gohan, but it wasn't his style to ignore things that made him uneasy. Frowning slightly, he waited before the boy replied to his answer.

 

“Well, it's got to be something. And it isn't just you. She's been acting kind of weird lately too. She doesn't cry about dad anymore, but she seems to daydream a lot more then she used to. I don't get it. Both of you have been acting strange ever since that day when I walked in on the two of you in the kitchen when you were holding my mom's wrist. I never said anything to you about it before because I could tell you weren't trying to hurt her, but…but both of you are acting like you…like you have a crush on one another or something!”

 

That was not what he had expected to hear from Gohan's mouth. Feeling a sudden drop in the pit of his stomach that had nothing to do with how far they were up in the atmosphere, Piccolo suddenly put on the brakes. He found himself standing face to face with Gohan, his arms crossed over his chest and his face expressing the shock of being told he was acting like he had a crush on some human female.

 

“That is absolutely ridiculous! Not to mention impossible. I don't know where you got such an idea in your head Gohan, but you can get rid of it right now.”

 

Piccolo hoped that his student would have enough sense to drop the uncomfortable topic and leave it at that. He couldn't believe that Gohan would think that of him, or how he had even come to such an erroneous conclusion to begin with. Certainly, he had discovered that he didn't mind spending time with Chi-Chi like he thought he would, and that he could even admit to liking her. But a crush? He had always found the fickleness of human sexual attraction to be nonsensical and utterly pointless. And to validate his assumptions of what he thought he understood about attraction, all he had to do was look at the turbulent relationship Bulma and Yamcha had had before they had eventually split apart. In all honesty, he truly hadn't understood what all the commotion was about when it came to the supposed feelings behind falling in love with someone. In his case, there was no need for something so stupid. Yet none of these reasons were helping him fend off the fact that part of him (the Kami part of him) found Gohan's reasoning to be…somewhat correct. And apparently Gohan also felt reassured by his statement to the contrary, evident by the very pronounced smirk that was sliding across his face.

 

“I'll get rid of it when pigs fly! You do have a crush on my mother! I should kick your ass for thinking about her like that, but I'm sure it was probably accidental, since you still don't seem to understand what it is you think about my mom anyway. Well, I'll let you think about it, but if I catch you trying to do any funny stuff to her, you're mine!”

 

With that said, Gohan stuck his tongue out at him and made a face before he turned Super Saiyan and flew past Piccolo, making his cape whip around his body from the energy that whizzed past him as his student headed back towards Mt. Pazou.

 

He could feel anger emanating from the deepest part of his subconscious over being made to look like a fool in front of the boy who had done more for him when it came to understanding his own ability to have and express feelings than anyone else before had. With that anger, there was also a deep sense of embarrassment. The fact was, he did not understand how he thought or what he felt about Chi-Chi, but Gohan's statements, no matter how much he did not want to give them credence, held some merit. Pushing back his discomfort, Piccolo pulled up his ki reserves and shot off after his student, not intent to let him have the last word over his assumptions in regards to his own feelings towards the boy's mother.

 

About ten minutes later at Mt. Pazou…

 

Chi-Chi finished loading a set of sheets into the washing machine and was about to start pulling out the items from inside the dryer when she heard the front door open and slam shut. Straightening up, she realized that Gohan must have returned from his sparring match with Piccolo, and the worry over his lateness dissipated rapidly. Stepping out of the small laundry room, she walked into the living room and saw him throwing wood into the wood stove before he closed it up and brushed his hands off on his pants.

 

“Hey Mom! Sorry I'm a little late, but Piccolo and I kind of accidentally went on a detour before we headed over here.”

 

She looked at Gohan a bit dubiously, crossing her arms and frowning at him slightly.

 

“You took a detour? Well, even though I find that sort of unbelievable, I'll let you off the hook this time. But that means until supper is finished cooking, you're going to be upstairs in your room studying. And no playing those video games Bulma gave you the last time you went over to West City to visit with her and Trunks!”

 

She wasn't expecting much of an argument, as Gohan was usually a very dutiful son. However, she wasn't expecting the sudden grin of pleasure that spread across his face or the devious twinkle that shone out of his dark brown eyes. Narrowing her eyes, she had a sudden suspicion that he was up to something, even though there wasn't any evidence pointing to that. Shaking off the strange sensation, she caught herself looking towards the door behind her son.

 

“Where is Piccolo? I thought you said he was with you.”

 

Gohan shrugged and then grinned at her before he bounded around her and headed towards the small staircase that led to the upstairs. Turning his head, he looked over his shoulder while he started up the stairs towards his room before answering her question.

 

“Oh, he's behind me. He'll be here in a few minutes. He was kind of…um, well, busy. When he gets here, make sure you tell him that I'm studying and can't be bothered. And yell when it's time for dinner. I'm starving!”

 

With that said, Chi-Chi watched as Gohan's body disappeared from view as he entered his bedroom and closed the door behind him. Shaking her head over his strange behavior, she peered at the door once more before she shrugged and went back into the laundry room.

 

A few more minutes passed and there still was no sign of Piccolo. Pulling the last sock out of the dryer, she shut the door and grabbed the basket from the top of the machine, turning around and finding herself face to face in the small room with the man she had just been thinking about minutes before. Dropping the basket in fright over his sudden, stealthy appearance, she watched as the basket tipped over on its side, spilling a few of the items out and over Piccolo's feet.

 

Recovering from her shock, she looked up at his face, about to rip into him over how rude it was not to announce his presence when she noticed his expression. Apparently, whatever he had been busy doing hadn't gone very well and she had a feeling that Gohan was somehow responsible. In fact, there was no mistaking that Piccolo looked livid about something. His fists were balled at his sides and his pronounced brow was wrinkled in anger.

 

“Where is Gohan?” Piccolo ground out in a low and guttural tone.

 

Taking a step backwards, she let out a sigh, trying to think just what it was that her son had done to Piccolo to make him this riled up. The only time she had ever seen him this upset was when he had come to her house to tell her he was going to become involved in making sure she took care of herself and she had gone ballistic on him. She had never seen him angry with Gohan, so in her heart, she knew it must have been something bad. Yet it didn't make sense because Gohan wasn't the type of child to willfully make someone upset with him, and he had come home acting as though he had the expectation Piccolo was going to be angry with him. Shaking her head and rolling her eyes in annoyance, she told him what Gohan had asked her to say.

 

“He's in his room studying, but I don't want him to be disturbed since he's studying for an important test.”

 

With that said, she was about to bend over and retrieve the laundry basket, but Piccolo beat her to it. Peering at her as he straightened up, his face softened somewhat but not all of his apparent agitation towards her son receded.

 

“For some reason, I don't think that's the truth, but if that's what you say, I'll let it go for now.”

 

Blinking in surprise, Chi-Chi tried to cover up the small smile that appeared at the corner of her lips for no reason other then the fact that Piccolo had bought her fabricated story even though he knew she was lying. Trying to make up for her strange attitude, she went to grab the basket out of his hands, but he pulled it away from her.

 

“I…Piccolo, I can…”

 

“Just be quiet and tell me where you want me to take it. I'm trying to…”

 

His voice trailed off as the edges of his cheeks darkened slightly. Shrugging her shoulders, she told him to take it to the kitchen table so she could fold them as well as check on the supper she was making for her and Gohan. With that said, she followed him into the next room as he put the basket on the battered table and then backed away. Standing uncomfortably with his arms crossed, she could feel his eyes on her as she checked on the roast in the oven and then pulled out a chair at the table to sit on while she folded the pile of clothes in front of her. Glancing upwards at his impassive face, she caught herself staring at him unintentionally, watching the way his eyes slid shut when he blinked, the way he would randomly tap his long fingers against his biceps, and the way his throat would move when he swallowed. Snapping out of it, it didn't take her long to realize that she wasn't the only person in the room staring. Nervousness replaced the calmness she had felt upon entering the kitchen, her mouth going dry the longer Piccolo's penetrating gaze held her face. Feeling the obvious heat of a blush starting to spread across her face, she broke eye contact with him and looked away, taking in a shuddering breath. This was…new. Was he trying to play some sort of game with her? Did he…did he know?

 

“I don't have something stuck to my nose do I?” she asked, trying to dispel the heaviness of the atmosphere.

 

“No.”

 

“Oh.”

 

Again, the silence between the two of them seemed to stretch on forever. She didn't understand what was going on. Whenever Piccolo showed up, which was almost every day, and the two of them were left alone for short periods of time, he rarely said anything to her except when she intentionally provoked him into an argument, yet it didn't feel like this. This sensation that something was about to happen was almost overwhelming and it didn't help that she had been thinking about him almost continually all day, looking forward to seeing him in the early evening when he would come back with Gohan. Maybe it was because of Bulma's visit that she had finally decided to stop hiding from her actual…feelings without putting a name to them. Maybe it was because Bulma had made the comment that it was okay for her to be happy with someone else besides Goku. Whatever the case, she could understand part of the strangeness surrounding the two of them. If in case he did know, that would make things strained between the two of them and she didn't want to think about that.

 

“Are you feeling alright?”

 

Chi-Chi blinked and looked towards Piccolo. Dropping the pair of socks she had been holding on to back towards the table, she pulled her hands towards her lap as she watched him close the distance between where he was standing and the table. She swallowed heavily, her breath hitching in her chest as he leaned over across the table and hesitantly grasped her chin in his hand, angling her face towards his own. Once again, she found herself being swallowed up by his concerned gaze, his earlier anger all but gone. If it wasn't for the fact that a table was separating the two of them, it almost seemed like he wanted to…

 

Yanking her head back and away from him, she tried to get her racing thoughts and heartbeat under control. He did not want to do that with her. It was the stupid dream that was making her think such absurd thoughts, as well as her own…her hormones. Deciding that folding clothes wasn't such a good idea, she started throwing the items back in the basket, using it as a front to ignore Piccolo. She didn't want to see what his reaction would be from her sudden and erratic movements, nor did she want him to start taunting her about how idiotic she was acting.

 

Grabbing the basket, she put it on the floor before she stood up and walked over to the stove to once again check on her roast. Seeing that it was browning nicely, along with the potatoes and carrots she had added, she walked over to her small pantry and pulled out a jar of green beans she had canned earlier that year.

 

Taking the jar over to the counter, she pulled a bowl from one of the cupboards and then opened a drawer, extracting a can opener to unseal the lid on her jar. Taking her shaking hands, she gripped the jar tightly with one while she used the other to try and lever the opener and pop the lid off of the jar. Instead, all she managed to do was keep missing the jar lid, eventually dropping the opener to the counter with a loud clatter. She was about to slam her fist into the countertop to relieve some of her frustration and tension when she felt something grab it before she could harm herself. Realizing that it was Piccolo, she relaxed suddenly when she felt the warmth of his body behind her, at odds with her previous behavior.

 

“It doesn't make sense for you to break your arm over the fact that you can't get a jar open. Here, give it to me.”

 

He dropped her arm and moved around next to her. Feeling sheepish, she pushed the jar and opener over to him and waited while he easily popped the lid off the jar. Handing it back over to her, she ignored the feel of his dry skin against her own when their hands touched briefly. Emptying the contents of the jar into the bowl, she opened up the new microwave Bulma had given her the month before and started to heat up the canned vegetable. With that simple task accomplished, she turned back around, leaning her hips against the counter, stealing a glance at Piccolo, who was still standing next to her.

 

“I wasn't going to hurt you.”

 

She was surprised. He had thought her reaction was because she thought she was in danger? Well, she supposed she had been in danger, but the only danger she had been in would have been of her own making. She was human, after all, and she was finding that her humanity coupled with her need for companionship was making her feel things for this man that she never would have imagined feeling. Especially considering the fact that he wasn't human to begin with.

 

Shaking her head, she smiled wryly at him, spontaneously grabbing his hand in her own and squeezing it.

 

“I know. You just startled me, that's all. I wasn't expecting that and it reminded me of…” She let her voice trail off before she revealed what exactly it was that it reminded her of. However, Piccolo surprised her with the next comment, one she wasn't expecting from someone like him.

 

“It reminded you of that dream.”

 

“My…dream?”

 

He nodded his head slowly and then tried to pull his hand out of her grip, as a way of retreating from bringing up a subject that the two of them had tried to forget. However, since it had never been resolved, it hadn't left the forefront of their minds.

 

“I kissed you, didn't I? That's what you wouldn't tell me.”

 

She could see him tense up, his lips spreading into a thin line before he slowly shook his had in affirmation of something she had suspected from the beginning. Especially since the kiss in her dream that had started out being with Goku had ended up being with Piccolo instead. And it had been because of that moment she had realized the reason why the emptiness she had felt for so long was finally becoming filled. There was someone else in her life who was taking care of her, and because of that, she was starting to feel love. A different sort of love than what she had shared with Goku, but it was love all the same.

 

She should have felt awkward, or even embarrassed, but all she really felt was relief that what she had suspected was finally confirmed. Chewing on her lip, she came to a crossroads of sorts. It was pointless to continue denying the fact that what she felt for Piccolo, even though she had only truly gotten to know him within the last four months or so, was deeper than just friendly affection. She didn't quite understand it herself, but she had come to depend on him more so than she had ever depended on Goku simply because of the fact that he had been here for her during one of the most difficult times of her life and he hadn't made any motions to leave or renege on his original promise. And, if she was honest with herself, his dependability had been evident as far back as when Goku had spent that year on Yardrat before coming home after defeating Freiza. Even though she hadn't seen him, Gohan had told her he was watching out for their family while Goku was away. She had been angered at the time, not understanding Piccolo's intentions, but now, they were laid out for her to see and understand clearly.

 

Steeling her resolve, she took in a deep breath and looked Piccolo directly in the eyes.

 

“I'm sorry if that kiss startled you a bit. It wasn't intentional. At least, it wasn't intentional back then.”

 

With that said, she tugged on his arm, pulling him closer towards where she was standing, which was difficult considering how much taller he was than she and the fact that her protruding stomach was somewhat in the way. Leaning up on her tiptoes, she brushed her lips across his jawbone and then backed away, releasing his hand from her own.

 

She could tell by Piccolo's widened eyes and partially open mouth, which exposed the edges of his incisors against his lips, that he was surprised by her rather bold move. However, he recovered quickly and snapped his eyebrows together, screwing his face into a hideous grimace before backing away from her. If it wasn't for the fact that she could see a faint blush starting to spread over his cheeks, she would have thought that he was seriously upset wit her. Instead, she had a feeling that her intentional kiss had unsettled him more than it had upset him and he was trying to hide his reaction.

 

“What the hell was that for?”

 

“It was a kiss, dummy! A real one to thank your for being such a chivalrous gentleman.”

 

“I am not chivalrous, nor am I a gentleman.”

 

Shaking her head slightly, she moved in closer to the Namekian who was taking up space in her small kitchen, pleased when he didn't back away. It was almost as though he was trying to prove that her odd behavior wasn't making him nervous, but she could tell by the way his eyes were darting slightly that she was having some sort of effect on his usually rather cold and placid demeanor.

 

Gently putting her hand on his arm, she looked up into his face, a face that she had come to rely on in the past months. Whatever happened, she wasn't looking forward to when he decided to have less of a presence around her home after the baby was born, and she wanted him to understand that as well. Knowing that a kiss on the lips would be too forward and aggressive, especially since she wasn't sure what Piccolo's reaction would be to such a move, she opted for something that would partially show her feelings for him and that would be more natural between the two of them.

 

Wrapping her arms around his back, she pressed her face against the rough fabric that made up his fighting gi, letting out some of the pent up emotions and frustration she had felt in regards to him spill forward.

 

“I don't want you to leave. I've come to…I've come to depend on you, I suppose. And so has Gohan. He's been happier since you've become…. Well, you've become like part of our family.”

 

At first, she was afraid that he wouldn't respond to her actions or statements as she laid herself out to him in such a vulnerable way. However, to her happiness, she felt his stiff body loosen up. Slowly, his arms crept up along her body, tentatively returning the embrace until she felt like she was going to drown in his warmth. Goku had hardly, if ever, held her like this and it was something she had craved for a very long time. There was something undeniably comforting about being held in the arms of someone you cared about, and it didn't matter to Chi-Chi in the least that the person she was having these deep feelings of attachment for wasn't human. All she really wanted was somebody who would be there for her.

 

With her face pressed against his chest, Chi-Chi could feel Piccolo take in a deep breath before his voice tickled across her the top of her head.

 

“I don't know where you get such stupid ideas in your head. It was never my intention to just disappear after the baby is born. You shouldn't worry about something that's months away as it is. Foolish human.”

 

She wanted to smack him for making light of her concern, but he had just relieved some of the anxiety she had been feeling of late as well as making it clear he wasn't about to abandon her like Goku had the habit of doing. Instead, she squeezed her arms around him tighter and let out the breath of uncertainty that she had been holding in slowly leave her system. He wasn't going to leave her.

 

“Of course I'm not going to leave you.”

 

And this time, instead of feeling his breath tickle across her scalp, there was no mistaking the slight pressure against the crown of her head. Blushing slightly, she smiled into his gi and thought how nice it would be if he could truly understand and appreciate what she really felt for him.

 

Chi-Chi has sort of revealed her developing feelings towards Piccolo, but Piccolo has yet to do the same since he's still sorting things out. Please let me know what you think of this chapter by leaving a review.