Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ Thicker Than Blood ❯ Coming To An Understanding ( Chapter 4 )

"She can sleep in my room, can't she, Mom?" Neko asked, hopping on heels in place on the floor, "Oh, Please! Please! Please! Can she? Huh? Huh?"

"I don't know, Sweetheart." Alaura said, looking at Mira, "I'm not sure how Mira would feel…"

"It's all right, Alaura, really." Mira sat on the edge of the sofa next to Tae and spoke in hardly whisper, only the nameks present did not need to strain to hear her, "I like Neko and don't mind where I sleep."

Neko stopped bouncing in place long enough to rush over to the smaller girl and tackle her in an expressive hug. As they tumbled onto the floor and Mira shoved her way back up, the adults shook their heads simultaneously at the children's behaviour.

"Outside for that!" Alaura cried, hopping down gracefully from her place on Piccolo's lap, she went on; "Neko, you know better than to roughhouse indoors. I do have breakables around, you know!"

"Yes, Mom." Neko said, her head hanging like a whipped dog, "I'm sorry. It won't happen again. I just forget sometimes…"

"Neko." Piccolo stopped the girl in her tracks, "You and Mira meet me outside, I would have word with the both of you."

Mira cast a questioning look at Neko but all Neko could do was shrug. The two children shuffled outside, uncertain of their fate. Alaura grabbed ahold of Piccolo's cape-tails and pulled them as hard as she could. He knew she wasn't strong enough to actually pull him down if he did not want her too, still he allowed himself to drift towards her, until their eyes met…summer sky blue to ebony black…and all the emotions within and without.

"You cannot begin now, Piccolo." She said, her voice low, as Gohan walked towards the guest showers to get cleaned up, "She's still a baby!"

"She was a baby yesterday and the day before that and the day before that, Alaura." He said, "Gohan started his training younger than Mira!"

"Gohan is NOT our daughter!" Alaura cried, "I…I'm afraid she'll get hurt…"

"Of course she's going to get hurt, Alaura!" Piccolo said through gritted teeth, nearly at his wit's end. He had wanted to start training his daughter almost from the moment she was born, he could feel the raw energy within the little body just begging for release. He knew he could help her greatly to begin as soon as possible. But, her mother had wanted the little one to herself for as long as possible. He knew he must find a way to sever the ties to Alaura's apron strings that were attached so tighly to her.

He knew he would get no where if Alaura continued to coddle her so.

"But, that's part of training…and part of growing up." He said, as she looked away, tears in her eyes. Hateful, unbidden tears. She wished she could make them stop, but they would not listen, they just escaped her eyelids and ran, carefree, down her cheeks to drip from her chin, "Alaura," Piccolo tilted her chin upwards so he could look at her face, A face he loved so dearly, "She had been your daughter all this time…let her be mine, now. I'll take good care of her, as I take care of you both. I always have and I always will."

"Go to them, then." Alaura said, after kissing the palm of his hand tenderly, "But, remember, she still has to give me hugs and kisses goodnight, every night."