Dragon Ball/Z/GT Fan Fiction ❯ When It Rains ❯ When It Rains 07 ( Chapter 7 )

Warnings, disclaimers and such: Lot’s of things are implied in this chapter, but if I give you a warning they won’t simply be implied anymore. Don’t worry, there’s nothing too graphic. Any character referenced in this story isn't mine...no profit being made...beware of language and angst...When it RainsBy: KainekoChapter 07...

Gohan had just hung up the phone with his credit card company having them issue a card on his account in his father’s name. It wouldn’t do for Goku to be without a means of caring for himself.

His secretary’s voice broke into his thoughts. “Mr. Son…Bulma Briefs on line 2.”

Gohan picked up the phone and mumbled his thanks.

“Hey Bulma. What’s up?”

“Gohan, I just went over the merger proposal you sent last week.”

“So what do you think?” He asked.

“You’ve certainly caught my interest. Let’s meet tomorrow to discuss all the details.”

Bulma could hear the smile in his voice. “That’s great Bulma.”

“Okay, how about in my main office say around 1:30.”

“Alright. I’ll be there.”

“Good. Look, I can’t chat I’m pretty swamped right now.” She said.

Gohan looked at the clock. It was already near 5:00 and Bulma was still working. But that was just the kind of person she was. “See you tomorrow then.” He said before ending the brief call.

Damn, almost 5:00 and he still had some things to catch up on himself since he’d been so late coming in this morning. Not to mention that now he’d have to prepare for his meeting with Bulma tomorrow. But he’d promised Goten that they would go and check on Goku this evening. He sighed. Maybe he could just get Goten to go over and at least make sure their dad got a decent meal.

------00------

Trunks and Goten walked through the halls of the West City Galleria Mall, enjoying the attention they garnered from all of the young women and a few of the older ones too. They even received appreciative second glances from a few of the men, which they didn’t mind either. They were too hot to handle, at least they thought so anyway. And the attention only helped to swell their heads more.

The younger demi looked around noting that the halls were fairly packed with casual shoppers and mall loafers alike, the two of them falling into the latter category. Goten glanced at his friend and smiled at his own private joke. For all the so-called growing up Trunks had done when he took over the vice-presidency of Capsule Corp, he still acted like a teenager at times. He was constantly running off, ditching days just to hang out. But on the same hand, he always made up for it with the quality of work he could produce under extreme pressure. He was a notorious procrastinator, but a perfectionist to a fault and he always, always got things done. That’s what allowed him to skip out so much, without actually missing his deadlines or pissing off his mom.

Goten was startled out of his thoughts by the sudden obnoxious intrusion of the theme song from Scooby Doo. Trunks groaned and rolled his eyes and Goten grinned, pulling out his cellphone. He loved that ringtone, just because it irked Trunks to no end.

“Hello.”

“Hey Goten, what’re you doing now?” Gohan’s voice came across the other end.

“I’m at the mall hanging out with Trunks.”

“Listen bro, I don’t think I’ll be able to make it back to dad’s tonight. At least not by a decent time. Would you go check up on him for me? Make sure he gets something to eat… I don’t really want him to be alone, but I just can’t get out of here for a while.”

“I don’t think that’s going to be a problem. He came to Capsule Corp today and invited Vegeta to a spar.” Goten paused and sent out his senses. He could feel Goku’s ki not too far away from Capsule Corp. and Vegeta’s was in the same vicinity. “I can sense their ki in the same location as before. They must still be at it. You know how they get when they fight.”

Gohan thought about this. “I guess it’s a good thing that he has Vegeta to help take out his frustrations on.”

“Yeah I think so too. But you know, he didn’t look quite as bad as you described him this morning. I mean, he looked a little tired and definitely more solemn than normal, but given the circumstances I think that’s to be expected.”

“Well I don’t trust it. It could be just his attempt to mask his emotions. You know he really isn’t that good with expressing his real feelings. It’s always just this unnatural cheerfulness with him regardless of what’s going on. Unless it’s anger while he’s facing down some crazed loon he doesn’t show any other emotion. And he can’t be too happy about what mom has done.” Gohan added sarcastically.

“Well, I’ll definitely keep my eye on him.” Goten said.

“Thanks Goten. I better get going if I want to get out of here at all tonight. Let me know if anything else happens.”

“Okay, talk to you later.” Goten said and hung up the phone.

“You know you really should change that ringtone. It’s annoying as hell chibi.” Trunks said.

“No way that’s my favorite show. Besides why do you think I keep it?” Goten grinned.

Trunks just shook his head. “So what’s up?”

“Gohan just wants me to keep an eye on dad. He said he’s too busy at work to leave and he’s just worried.”

“Oh.” Trunks paused as they entered a video store that specialized in import videos, music, and games. “Well what about you?”

“What do you mean?” Goten asked looking up from the new releases display shelf that had immediately caught his eye.

“Are you worried about him?”

He didn’t have to give it much thought before he answered. “Yeah I guess I am. He didn’t seem so pitiful, but Gohan thinks it’s a front. Like he’s trying to mask his emotions and not show his true feelings.”

Trunks nodded. “Must be a full-blood thing. Dad is the same way except with anger. Maybe they just find one emotion that they are comfortable with and always try to portray that in order to protect their true feelings. Must be difficult for a warrior race to show any emotions that could be seen as weakness. With my dad, if he appears indifferent to everything, then he can act as if nothing bothers him…like he has no emotional weaknesses. And with your dad, his constant sunny mood makes it seem as if nothing ever gets under his skin.”

“I guess they’re similar in a lot of ways. I wonder if they even realize what they’re doing, or if it’s just instinct.”

“Who knows with those two?” Trunks shrugged.

------00------

On the other side of town near Capsule Corp., the two Saiyans were still together, but the fight had long ended. The grass was soft and warm where Vegeta lay looking up at the sky. The day was beginning its transition to early evening as the sun started to set in the afternoon sky. Vegeta would never admit it aloud, but this was his favorite time of the day. It reminded him of the sunsets of his childhood on Vegetasai. When the earth sky was blazing with its vibrant oranges and fiery reds, it was only a few shades lighter than the sky on Vegetasai. Enough to trigger memories of a boyhood spent romping through the grand castle of Vegetasai’s high province, acting as if he owned the universe.

He sighed and closed his eyes for a moment, reliving the better times of his youth, before opening them again and pushing the thoughts aside. He wouldn’t say it was beautiful, but it was pleasant.

Vegeta glanced toward his side at the sound of light snoring punctuated by intermittent mumbling. Goku had dozed off not too long ago a few feet away from him leaving him to his own thoughts. To the prince he looked haggard, a bit worn out and Vegeta figured that he needed the rest. He could have left him, but he was content to just sit there and stare at the sky. There was really no point in racing back to Capsule Corp, and possibly being subjected to Bulma and her nonsense.

He turned his attention back toward the sky, lost in thought.

He hadn’t noticed when, but at some point his gaze had shifted back over to the prone body of his companion. He focused intently on the deep frown that marred Goku’s brow in sleep. ’What’s he dreaming about?’

------00------

There was no one in the small cabin with him now, his attacker having left only moments before but not without the promise that he’d be back. He was left laying face down on the cabin floor where he remained for a long time just trying to catch his breath and arrange his jumbled thoughts. His eyes were clenched as if it would ward off the astonishing pain that he felt all over his body. For the longest time he simply couldn’t move from the cold floor; his body frozen in pain and fear.

Slowly and with great deliberation he shifted his weight from his stomach to his knees as he gripped the side of a nearby chair. The only light was the pale moonlight that had seemingly come from nowhere to filter in through the curtains and chase away just enough darkness for him to see by. The only sound that echoed through the small cabin was his slight shuffle and his labored breathing. Kami, he didn’t know he could hurt like this. The pain was so immense that he was sure he was just one step away from death. Never in his life had he felt so…broken.

He pushed himself up to his feet, painfully making his way to the corner of the room that held a sink basin and a pitcher of surprisingly clear water. They never did have running water in the small hut. Goku rested his weight against the wall as he leaned forward over the basin. He felt his mouth salivating with the bile that rose in the back of his throat. It was his only warning before his stomach revolted and he emptied its contents into the sink. His hands were shaking visibly as he cupped them full of water and rinsed the acrid acid from his mouth and gripped the pitcher, pouring just enough water to wash the vomit down the drain.

Slowly he limped around the room, trying to pull himself together.

‘Don’t go anywhere…I’ll be back for you soon.’

Goku wanted to be gone before that happened. He looked around the room for his shoes vaguely wondering how they’d been removed in the first place, but not really wanting to remember. Even with the pale light of the moon, it was still too difficult to see.

Suddenly the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Something wasn’t right…something was close to the cabin…close to him. He could just sense it. Fear rose within him…it had never really left in the first place, but now it was intensified. His intuition was telling him to forget the damned shoes and just get the hell away.

‘He’s back for me…like he said he would be.’ Goku thought frantically.

From somewhere deep within, he marshaled enough strength to bolt from the door of the cabin and into the forest nearby.

------00------

Vegeta watched the sweat break out on Goku’s forehead. His legs were twitching and he was whimpering almost pitifully. He could even hear the other man’s heart thumping madly within his chest.

‘What the hell is he dreaming about?’

Vegeta stood and closed the short distance between him and Goku. He crouched down, hovering over Goku watching him for a moment before he reached his hand out to shake him awake.

“Wake up Kakarrot.”

No response, only increased whimpering.

“Damnit Kakarrot. Wake up.” He growled.

Suddenly the prince found himself on his ass as Goku bolted upright. His eyes were panicked and he was panting heavily as the sweat fairly poured down his brow.

“What the hell is wrong with you Kakarrot?” Vegeta snapped, getting to his feet and scowling at the other man.

It took Goku a few minutes to realize where he was. And another few minutes to calm enough to notice the prince glowering at him. He could feel the slight tingle in his chest from his heart calming after racing so fast.

‘Damn, I’m sick of this. It wouldn’t be so bad if I could just remember the details.’

It was true. He couldn’t remember a thing, but it left him with the very real impression that he should be terrified of whatever it was. He had the overwhelming urge to hug something, but didn’t think that Vegeta would be too thrilled since he was the only something around.

“Sorry ‘bout that Vegeta. It was nothing.” He said getting to his feet and dusting off his clothes.
“I just…I’m not sleeping too well and I guess I was more tired than I thought.” He said starting off mumbling and ending in a shaky but totally unconvincing laugh as he ran his hand through his hair in a calming motion.

Goku noticed the skeptic eye that Vegeta was cutting at him but the prince didn’t say a word. Just continued to stare.

“Uh, so exactly what time is it?” Goku asked trying to change the subject.

Something was up, but Vegeta didn’t press the issue. He’d let it slide for now. “I’d say it’s almost 6.”

“That late huh? I guess I better be heading home, I haven’t really eaten all day. Uh you want to come?”

Vegeta thought about it. He was actually hungry too. His options were to go back to Capsule Corp and hope that Bulma hadn’t taken it upon herself to ‘dabble in the kitchen’, which she was known to do from time to time with disastrous results, or go to Kakarrot’s and cook a meal that he was actually going to be able to eat but would have to share with the other warrior. It didn’t take him long to come to his decision.

“Whatever.” He grunted.

Goku took that as a yes. They were about to fly off when Goku stopped.

“Oh wait…shoot…I totally forgot…”

“Forgot what?” Vegeta asked.

“I don’t have any food, or any money to buy more. I haven’t talked to Gohan since this morning.” Goku said wondering how he could have let something so fundamental slip his mind.

“Baka…I’ll buy the food. Just come on.”

------00------
A short while later found the two in downtown East District. ‘Maybe I should have just gone back to Capsule Corp. Anything would be better than this.’ Vegeta thought as they pushed their basket through the fairly crowded aisles of the grocery store. Everybody in the city got off work at the same time it seemed and they’d all decided to congregate at the damned store. What luck!

“Hey Vegeta. What should we have?”

“It doesn’t matter as long as it’s edible. Just hurry up and get something so we can leave before I kill someone.”

They made their way through the aisles, loading the basket down with whatever they might have wanted to eat.

Goku seemed to have perked up at the prospect of food. It would be great to eat with Vegeta. They hadn’t actually shared a meal in a long time and it would actually be nice to have someone in the house with him for a little while. It was so lonely around there without Chichi or his kids.

------00------

The kitchen was the first stop after they entered the house. Bags littered just about every surface, the table, the countertops and even the floor. It’s a good thing that the store had loaded everything into a capsule. They probably wouldn’t have made it they’d had to carry all of the bags.

“I’m just going to put this stuff away.” Goku said.

“So what exactly am I supposed to be cooking?” Vegeta asked rummaging through several bags and trying to figure out how to combine the conglomeration of ingredients to make a decent meal. Vegeta couldn’t think of a use for half of the stuff Goku had him to buy.

Goku stuck his head out from the pantry door where he had been putting away the groceries.

“Oh, I’m going to cook for you this time.” He said matter-of-factly.

“What?! You can’t cook.”

He frowned. “Sure I can.”

Vegeta didn’t make any effort to hide the skepticism that played across his face. Visions of charred, inedible, and unrecognizable food swam through his head.

“You don’t believe me do you?” Goku asked.

“Not hardly.”

“I’ll just have to prove it to you then.” Goku said. The level of determination in his voice was almost laughable.

“Look Kakarrot…as much as I think that it’s your duty to serve me, maybe you should just leave the cooking to me.”

“You’re afraid of my cooking.” Goku said.

Vegeta faltered. “You should know by now that I fear nothing…” but slow death by poisoning. He added sarcastically within his head. Capsule Corp was beginning to look like it would have been a better choice.

“Then I dare you to eat a meal that I cook.” Goku said grinning mischievously.

How could Vegeta back down from a challenge? Even if it was something as trivial as eating food that he was sure to die from.

“Fine, baka.”

Goku grinned triumphantly before setting to work.

------00------
Vegeta had been sitting with his arms crossed the entire time while Goku bustled around the kitchen. It appeared that Goku kinda knew his way around a kitchen. He had even set the table in between stirring various pots. He seemed to have everything under control, which really surprised Vegeta. But the test would be in the taste of the food that was deliciously scenting the entire house. But scents could be deceiving. Bulma was known to concoct “food” that smelled absolutely heavenly, and tasted like hell. Vegeta held on to his skepticism.

Goku was aware that Vegeta’s eyes followed his every move. He took great care in mixing his ingredients and preparing his first real meal since Chichi had left. He couldn’t remember the last time he’d cooked like this. He certainly hadn’t done it for his ex-wife and he really hoped he wouldn’t disappoint, especially after fairly boasting about his abilities.

They didn’t really talk much while Goku was cooking. He was completely engrossed in what he was doing and didn’t want to be distracted. Vegeta was content enough to wait out his fate in silence. When the food was finally finished, Goku placed several platters on the table before taking a seat across from the prince.

The younger man watched as the prince eyed his plate warily, seemingly contemplating the food that was presented before him. ‘Now or never.’ Vegeta thought as he lifted the fork to his mouth. To say that he was pleasantly surprised would be an understatement. The food was exemplary. Gourmet cuisine for sure. Even better than his own cooking…probably the best he’d had in more years than he cared to count.

After that first bite, Vegeta didn’t waste time finishing off his food. Neither man said anything, as the once abundant food became a memory. When he was finished, Vegeta studied the man across from him intently for a moment before speaking.

“Where could you have possibly learned to cook like this Kakarrot?”

Goku smiled. He took the question as a compliment. In an eerily accurate imitation of the Prince’s earlier response when asked about his own ability to cook, Goku said, “A warrior must be able to fend for himself. Even if it involves tasks that are beneath his standing in life.”

“Hm…Not much could be beneath your standing in life. But seriously. Not even the onna’s mother could cook like this.” Goku definitely wasn’t lacking in creativity as far as cooking was concerned.

Now this was a deliberate compliment which was really something coming from Vegeta, and Goku wasn’t about to trivialize it by gloating. He was just delighted that he’d satisfied the ouji’s appetite.

“I guess I just picked it up somewhere.”

“You don’t just pick up cooking skills like this. It comes from practice.”

“I don’t really remember. It seems I’ve always been able to cook. But anyway, it’s not that important.”

Goku said as he cleared the cluttered table.

“Do you want some tea?”

Vegeta nodded and watched as Goku prepared the tea. He laughed to himself as he watched the other man. It seemed that years of being with Chichi had instilled the subtle art of hospitality in him…even if he didn’t realize it. He looked like the perfect little housewife cleaning the dinner dishes and making tea.

After several minutes, Goku placed a steaming cup in front of the prince and sat back in his chair. Vegeta noted with interest that Goku seemed to be much calmer than he was earlier. Especially after he’d awoken at their sparring ground.

“You know…” Goku started, bringing Vegeta’s attention back to him. “…I’ve been thinking. The other day when you told me about Saiyan mating customs I realized that I know very little about our culture.”

“Obviously.” Vegeta said blowing on the contents of his cup.

“Well, It’s just that after I thought about it, your explanation seemed somewhat familiar. Almost like I’d heard it somewhere before.”

This caught Vegeta’s attention. “Really?”

“Yeah, I mean it’s really odd. It’s almost like I can remember some things from Saiyan culture. Things that I know can’t be anything I gained on Earth.”

“So this has happened before?”

“Sure, but more frequently now than when I was younger. I get these glimpses of things that are unlike anything I’ve ever seen on Earth. I used to just attribute it to daydreaming, but it always seemed so real…” Goku trailed off taking a sip of his own tea.

Vegeta thought about it for a while. “It’s probably your latent programming kicking in after all of these years.”

“Latent programming… What’s that?”

Vegeta sighed, explaining this was going to take half the night.


------00------
Later that evening near midnight Vegeta left and returned to Capsule Corp. The conversation he’d had with Goku after dinner was still playing in his mind. They hadn’t done much more than talk. And Vegeta really hadn’t minded explaining some of the finer points of their culture to the other man. Really, he’d rather enjoyed sharing his knowledge…at the least it made Goku a little more aware of his heritage, and Vegeta had had a hard time pulling himself away. He wasn’t even the talkative type, but it was just so peaceful in that quiet little mountain house. It was much smaller than Capsule Corp, and considerably cozier without being as confining as some of the places he’d lived. He’d never really paid the place much attention having never really spent much time there since it was Chichi’s domain. He’d just as soon pluck out his own eyes, than to spend too much time around her. But with just Goku there, things were so much different.

Vegeta passed through the kitchen and snagged some water before heading up to his room. The leftovers from Bulma dinner were still on the stove. He lifted one corner of the foil and took a peek, suddenly quite thankful that he’d chosen to eat with his sparring partner. Whatever the hell she’d cooked looked disgusting, especially since it was now cold and all of the grease had congealed on the surface and the water from the steam condensation on the foil left little puddles in the grease. What the hell was that supposed to be? He closed the lid and went to his room, not even bothering to put the unidentifiable food in the fridge. It clearly wasn’t worth salvaging as leftovers.

------00------ The next day.

Ian looked up from his desk as the door opened and a young man in a dark suit walked in carrying a briefcase.

Gohan’s eyes met those of the man he’d never seen before. “You must be Bulma’s new secretary.”

“Yes.”

Gohan had known Bulma’s previous secretary since he’d grown up around Capsule Corp. He’d been very fond of the woman and thought it was a great shame when he found out that she’d been murdered.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you.” The demi-Saiyan said. “I’m Gohan Son. I have a 1:30 meeting with Bulma.”

Ian of course had known who he was. “Yes, well you’re a little early and she’s with another client right now. Would you like some coffee or something while you wait?”

Gohan sat in one of the chairs and put his briefcase on the floor beside him. He was indeed about 30 minutes early. “No, I’m fine.”

Normally everyone that had met Ian had started a conversation with him to find out who he was. But this time it was different. Ian knew exactly who Gohan was when he first walked into the office. He wanted to get to know more about the handsome young man. He was glad that Gohan had shown up a little early. It gave him the opportunity for small talk.

“So Mr. Son. You work for Jetset Aerospace, right?”

Gohan nodded. “I’ve been there a few years.”

“Oh, I’ve been following the company for a while. It’s a world renowned organization.”

Gohan had been working for Jetset Aerospace Incorporated or JAI, almost since its conception a few years earlier. Though relatively young, they were well known for their bold innovative designs and high-quality cost-efficient products. Gohan was the director of their research and development company. Because of his long-time friendship with Bulma he was hoping they could negotiate a deal that would merger them with the Capsule Corp empire and help bring about a revolution in his industry. It would be better for his smaller company to be a part of the larger corporation and take advantage of increased funding, instead of competing against it.

“Are you interested in aerospace technology?” Gohan asked. Not many people understood enough about the field to really be interested.

“Well sure. It’s very exciting to watch things be accomplished that were never before thought possible. It takes real imagination to come up with something groundbreaking.”

Gohan smiled. That’s the reason he liked his job so much. It was his opportunity to use his creativity instead of just his book knowledge to create things. It was almost an art form.

Gohan and Ian talked a little while longer before the door to Bulma’s office opened and several older businessmen stepped out followed by the blue-haired genius. It was actually almost 2:00 now, but Gohan hadn’t really even noticed the time slipping by while he talked to Ian.

“Hey Gohan.” She said after the other men had left.

“Good to see you Bulma.”

“Sorry that meeting ran over a little. They just couldn’t seem to decide what they wanted. I hate when people are indecisive like that. They end up wasting my time.”

Gohan nodded.

“Listen, why don’t we discuss this over a late lunch. I haven’t had a chance to eat yet and I’m starving.” She offered.

“Sounds good. I could use a good meal too.” Gohan said not being one to turn down an opportunity for a meal.

“Ian, Do I have anything else scheduled on my books for this afternoon?”

“Only a sales briefing at 3.” He said.

“Well call Trunks and have him cover for me. I’ll be back by 4.” She said.

Ian nodded.

“It was nice to meet you Ian.” Gohan said before they left.

“Believe me. It was my pleasure.” Ian smiled as he watched them leave the office.

------00------
Over lunch, Gohan discussed his idea of merging their two companies together. The details were quite extensive, but basically his company would become a division of Capsule Corp and maintain a fair amount of autonomy. All of the offices would be moved into the CC headquarters and Gohan would become the head of the division. They could pool their talents and resources and become partners instead of rivals.

The idea sounded wonderful to Bulma. Of course she knew that Gohan was a genius and had tried to recruit him to work for Capsule Corp right when he graduated from college, but he’d refused saying that he wanted to make something for himself knowing that he’d relied on what he knew instead of who he knew. Bulma of course could respect that and she wasn’t at all surprised that he’d succeeded in proving himself so quickly. Now was her opportunity to get him in Capsule Corp and she wasn’t about to turn it down. When they parted that afternoon, both were optimistic that the outcome would be favorable for all of those involved and well received by the stockholders.

------00------
Gohan made his way out of the city and toward Piccolo’s waterfall. He hadn’t seen his friend in a few days and he wanted to talk to him. He decided to fly instead of drive since he wanted time to arrange his thoughts that had almost immediately turned to his father’s situation. He really wanted to talk to Piccolo about it…get his mentor’s advice on what he should do.

Gohan landed softly and made his way toward a rock near where his friend hovered in meditative silence. Gohan sat on the rock and rolled up the sleeves of his dress shirt. He’d already abandoned the jacket and tie in his hover car along with his briefcase.

“Hey Piccolo, how’s it going?” Gohan asked knowing full well that the Namek was no longer meditating.

“Just fine.”

They sat in silence for a few more minutes. Piccolo could tell that something was on the younger man’s mind. He’d known him far too long to not be able to read him.

“I take it everything’s not fine with you.” It was a statement that Piccolo knew to be fact.

Leave it to Piccolo to throw tact to the wind.

“Well, I’ve been having some issues. A few things have happened in the last couple of days that were just completely unexpected.”

Piccolo could tell that Gohan was skirting around whatever he wanted to say. “Just spit it out already.”

Gohan looked up from the ground at his feet. It was funny. He was able to be bluntly honest with everyone except for Piccolo. He hadn’t had one problem going off on his mother, but whenever he talked to Piccolo he felt like the little boy that he’d once been.

He sighed in resignation and rubbed his temples for relief. “I found out that my mom left my dad a few weeks ago.”

“It was bound to happen sooner or later.” Piccolo said, not all that surprised.

“What do you mean?” Gohan asked.

“Wasn’t it obvious that they weren’t very compatible. They had two completely different views on life and didn’t see eye to eye on much.”

“Well, I guess I didn’t see it that way.”

“When I stayed with your family for those few years while we trained for the androids, I kept asking myself how they’d ever gotten together in the first place.”

“Hmm…well she left him and to make matters worse, she took all of his money and left him with no way to take care of himself. No food, no electricity, no phone…nothing.”

Piccolo raised an eyebrow ridge. He hadn’t really seen that one coming. Well Chichi was selfish and always whined if she didn’t get her way, but she didn’t seem like the ruthless type.

“I’m sure your father will be fine. He’s got a survivor’s spirit…you should know that not much would faze him.”

Gohan nodded. They sat in silence a little while longer before Gohan’s thoughts turned back to his meeting with Bulma. “Well I do have some good news. I talked to Bulma about a possible merger between JAI and CC. She was all for it. It looks like things are going to work out as far as that’s concerned.”

Piccolo nodded. He wasn’t into business, but if it made Gohan happy. Gohan had been talking about this deal for a while and he was pleased that his young friend was satisfied.

“So Piccolo, do you wanna go out and celebrate? I know this great movie that’s playing and then afterward we can go get something to eat…or drink in your case.”

A look of incredulity crossed Piccolo’s face. “You’re kidding right?”

Gohan wasn’t as optimistic as Piccolo that everything would work out. He really needed a bit of distraction from his problems, and he couldn’t think of anything better than spending time with one of his favorite people.

“No, I’m serious. What do you say?”

“Gohan.” He sighed, rubbing his nose. “I don’t fit into the human world. It would be a mistake.”

“You know I don’t care what people think. And I was pretty sure that you wouldn’t either.” Gohan said.

Piccolo didn’t care what other people thought. But humans were headaches. They were petty and thoughtless and annoying as hell. As Kami he’d watched them for centuries and he knew enough to steer clear of them whenever possible.

As Piccolo looked back across to Gohan he caught the older man’s eyes. “Please Piccolo come with me…It’ll be fun I promise.”

Piccolo growled. He just didn’t have the capacity to turn Gohan down when he nearly begged. “Fine.” He grumbled. But he knew he wasn’t going to like it.

The smile that lit up the younger man’s face was enough to make it worthwhile.

“I need to go change clothes. Why don’t you meet me at my apartment in about 2 hours?” Gohan said as he stood.

Piccolo nodded his assent before Gohan flew off back toward the city. Gohan figured that if he hurried he could stop by a little store and pick up something special before he made it home.

------00------

“Come on Piccolo, the movie starts soon and we need to hurry so we can get good seats.” Gohan said looking down at his watch with a frown.

“Fine. I’m almost done.” The Namek growled from within Gohan’s bathroom. When he arrived at the demi-Saiyan’s apartment, Gohan had thrust a plastic shopping bag in his hand and told him to go change. He didn’t know what was wrong with his own clothes, but Gohan had said they made him look too uptight and confrontational. He just so happened to like looking uptight and confrontational.

Piccolo looked at himself in the full-length mirror and sighed. Here he was again in human clothes, just jeans and a short-sleeved knit shirt. He figured if Gohan could wear his style clothes, as he’d done so often when he was a boy, then Piccolo could make this exception and dress like a human for one night. He hadn’t really been all that enthused at the idea, but he agreed just to make Gohan happy, though he outright denied that one.

The clothes weren’t as comfortable as his normal gi, but they would do. At least it looked better than that postboy shirt that he’d worn when he was trying to learn to drive. Those had been utterly awful. He was thankful that the jeans weren’t nearly as tight, though he wondered if the shirt was one size too small. It fit more than a little snug. He thought the seams would pop if he took a really deep breath. He glanced one more time at himself, doubtful that even these ‘normal’ clothes could make him look any less threatening.

Gohan’s breath caught in his throat as Piccolo stepped from the bathroom. He’d envisioned his former mentor in that outfit when he bought it, but that vision paled in comparison to the real deal. The fibers of the deep purple shirt strained across his massive chest leaving absolutely nothing of his muscular physique to imagination. The top two buttons were open, giving that much more of a view to the smooth skin of his chest and throat underneath. And the bottom of the short sleeves hugged tightly across his powerful biceps, defining his massive muscular arms. Gohan just barely suppressed a groan at the thought of tasting that smooth skin. As Piccolo walked passed him to the door, Gohan couldn’t help but stare at Piccolo’s ass, clearly defined through the denim material. ‘Damn he’s perfect.’ Gohan thought.

“Are you coming?” Piccolo asked noting that Gohan hadn’t moved since he came out. He began to feel a little self-conscious, wondering why Gohan was looking at him that way. He felt a little ridiculous.

The younger man quickly composed himself. “Yeah. It’s just that…” Gohan wanted to tell Piccolo how hot he looked, but he decided against it and instead said. “Those clothes really fit you. You should dress that way more often.”

“What? You don’t like my regular clothes?”

“No…No, it’s not that. It’s just that you look good in those.”

Piccolo smiled inwardly at the compliment, but never let the slightest hint of his pleasure show on his face. “Whatever. Let’s just go…”

------00------
The theatre was nearly packed. Many couples had decided to spend a Friday night, catching a flick. Gohan watched as a young couple, about his age, sat near the fountain in the megaplex lobby kissing. He so wished that it could be him and Piccolo instead, but unfortunately they didn’t have that kind of relationship. Gohan had loved Piccolo forever, but he was sure that his feelings weren’t returned. No, wait…that wasn’t entirely true. He was sure that Piccolo loved him, but as a friend or father figure and definitely not romantically. He would have prayed to Kami for the other warrior’s love, if not for fear that Kami would actually hear his true feelings and Piccolo would find out his intentions. Even if Piccolo didn’t openly shun him afterward Gohan wouldn’t risk losing their easy friendship over something that would forever make them feel awkward around each other.

It’s not that Piccolo was completely oblivious to his young friend’s feelings. And it’s not that Piccolo didn’t return those feelings, though Gohan didn’t know it. It’s just that he wasn’t really convinced that they could make a relationship work. They were too different, and though they say opposites attract, they had to at least have some similarities in order to actually stick. That was especially apparent now after what had happened between Gohan’s parents. He was still trying to decide within his own mind if he should confess his feelings for Gohan or just leave them hidden.

Sighing almost inaudibly, he let the thoughts slip from his mind as he followed Gohan through the lobby. This was Piccolo’s first time going to the movies and he really didn’t know what to do. The first thing that he’d noticed was that there were far too many people for his liking. They were all packed into the building like sardines, bumping into one another as they passed. The tall Namek required space, and this was grating on his nerves. If he felt another person touch him, he was going to explode. He didn’t care if it was accidental. Besides, the level of noise was nearly overwhelming, and he was already feeling the beginning of a headache. Why in the hell had he agreed to this again?

‘Please Piccolo come with me…It’ll be fun I promise.’

He grumbled at the memory of Gohan’s plea. He’d been too easily swayed, and vowed that it wouldn’t happen again. The strange looks that he was receiving did little to convince him that he’d made the right decision. He was different from the people around him. Too different to even try to blend in. Some of them were staring outright and others were trying not to be so obvious. He didn’t know if he was uneasy because he was among so many humans, or if it was because his clothes were so damned tight. He really wished that he at least still had his own clothes on. Maybe then he wouldn’t feel so self-conscious.

------00------
They made it to their seats before the lights had dimmed or the previews had begun. They had to sit all the way in the back because Piccolo was just too tall to sit any closer without craning his neck or blocking someone’s view.

Piccolo held his cup of water and glanced occasionally at the mound of food that Gohan had.

“What’s that?” He asked glancing at the huge cardboard bucket that Gohan held.

“It’s called popcorn. Want to try some?”

Piccolo looked down at the water he was holding. “No, I think this is enough.”

“Aww, come on Piccolo. It’ll make the experience more authentic. Everyone eats popcorn at the theatre.”

Piccolo looked around. Everyone did seem to be carting loads of snacks and eating in the dark. He reached into the bucket and picked up a few kernels before popping them in his mouth. It wasn’t really bad, but it was way too salty and for someone that survived off water, salt was not his friend.

“Well?”

“Its okay, just a bit salty.”

Gohan smiled, inwardly pleased that his friend was willing to try new things with him. “You want some more?”

“No, I’ll pass.”

They sat in silence for a few more moments until the lights finally dimmed all the way.

“The movie is about to start.” Gohan whispered as if Piccolo couldn’t gather that much on his own.

The previews were uneventful…just scenes of upcoming movies that were almost certainly over-hyped. Then the movie started. Gohan had told him that this was supposed to be one of the scariest horror movies produced in years. The first few scenes were pretty standard; just background for the main plot of the movie. Then it happened. Some completely unexpected, larger than life, utterly frightening phantom appeared on screen and scared the hell out of everyone in the audience, which unfortunately included many children whose parents had unwisely brought them along.

In one collective breath it seemed the entire audience screamed. The sound was shrill and piercing. Enough to crack glass. Piccolo could feel the vibrations of the sound waves as they jarred his body, setting his teeth on edge. The sound was amplified within his ears, seemingly reverberating to every nerve ending within his body. Piccolo jumped up, slapping his palm over his ears as he roared in pain, before falling to his knees in the wide aisle between the seats. In the process, he dropped his cup of water on the lady sitting directly in front of him. Her high-pitched screech wreaked havoc on his already throbbing ears. He felt like ripping them off just to save himself the agony caused by the cacophonous noise. The audience’s initial shock from the onscreen apparition had died down taking the sound of their scream with it, and all eyes now focused on the scene that Piccolo and the lady were now making.

Gohan was immediately at Piccolo’s side. “Piccolo…Piccolo! What’s wrong!?”

“Harold, don’t just sit there, do something.” The woman screeched.

The man sitting directly in front of them jumped up from his seat. He was very well built and obviously strong by human standards. “What the fuck is your problem man? You dumped water all over my wife. Do you have a death wish or something?” He roared, used to people being afraid of his physical presence.

Gohan however was not impressed and just ignored him and the completely soaked woman; his main focus was on Piccolo.

“Hey man…I’m talking to you.” He said grabbing a handful of Piccolo’s shirt and trying to haul the hapless Namek onto his feet.

Gohan shot his hand out, gripping him around his throat and squeezing slightly. Enough to make breathing difficult and get his point across without actually killing him. He lifted him by his throat dangling him effortlessly over the row of seats. He wasn’t normally a violent person, and usually he could control his anger. But time and tide had matured him much. There was no way he would let that man touch his Piccolo, especially while something was wrong with him and he couldn’t defend himself.

“Look…” He growled. His voice held nothing but contempt. “We’re sorry about your wife, but she’ll dry. You, however, might not recover so quickly if you ever even think about touching him again.”

Just as quickly as he picked the man up, he dropped him back down into his seat and turned his attentions back to his friend. The man lay sprawled gasping like a landed fish. He weighed nearly 300 pounds and this boy had just handled him like a child. He’d felt his windpipe struggle not to collapse under the boy’s grip. He may have been angry, but he wasn’t stupid and he certainly wasn’t ready to die.

“Come on Brittany, let’s go.” He rasped as he grabbed his wife’s hand, dragging her from the row.

Gohan gripped Piccolo’s hands, gently but firmly trying to pry them away from his ears. But Piccolo refused adamantly. With the noise from the audience’s murmurs and the movie still playing he wasn’t about to un-guard his ears. Gohan held up his hand and formed an energy ball, not enough to damage anything, but enough to see by.

Blood, purple blood, Piccolo’s blood seeped through his clenched fingers and ran down his forearm. It was then that the young demi-Saiyan realized what was wrong with him. The sound of the screaming was just too much for the Namek, whose hearing was way more acute than Gohan’s own hearing. The young demi-Saiyan cursed himself for not having the foresight to see this coming. His own hearing was much more sensitive than a normal human’s, and he had felt a little pain from the sheer volume of the sound, but he knew it wasn’t nearly to the extent of his former mentor’s pain.

Piccolo was huddled over on his knees, trying desperately to protect his ears. His head was throbbing and he was feeling more than a little nauseous. He thought he was going to pass out, and at this point he probably would have welcomed the darkness and silence of being unconscious. By that time the entire audience was looking in their direction trying to figure out whether to stay and gape, or to run. Suddenly the movie stopped playing and the lights were blindingly thrown on.

Several men dressed in guard uniforms rushed in followed by a couple of ushers.

“Come on Piccolo. I think it’s time to go.” Gohan whispered.

“What’s the problem here? What’s wrong with him?” One of the men asked pointing to Piccolo. He was completely no-nonsense.

“We don’t really want to cause trouble. It was all a misunderstanding.” Gohan said.

“Several patrons reported that you assaulted them.”

“That’s not exactly what happened. Like I said, it was all a misunderstanding.”

“We don’t tolerate rowdy behavior in this establishment. I think you two better follow me.” The man said.

Piccolo stood up, shakily at first but with increasing stability. He let his hands fall to his sides though it still felt like someone was stabbing him in his ears. He allowed Gohan to lead him, his balance was off and he didn’t want to chance poorly negotiating the steep steps that lead back out into the lobby.

After spending an eon in the security office trying to explain what had happened to the guards, they finally left. At least they’d succeeded in keeping them from calling the police with the stipulation that they’d never return to that Megaplex again. In Piccolo’s mind that hadn’t been an option anyway. He’d be damned if he ever allowed himself to be suckered into something like this again. His natural regenerative ability would help speed the healing process, but it wouldn’t repair the damage overnight. As it stood, the damage to his eardrums would take a few days to heal and in the meantime, he would be extremely sensitive to any sound.

“Piccolo…” Gohan turned to his friend as they flew back towards the woods. He wanted to apologize for what had happened. He felt really bad for allowing Piccolo to experience this pain though he didn’t have any way to predict or prevent it. It was just one of those things.

Piccolo however wasn’t in the mood. He just wanted to get back to his cave and sleep the pain off. “Just forget it Gohan.”

This incident just reinforced Piccolo’s belief that he and Gohan existed in two completely different worlds that could co-exist, but would never really meet. He really loved the young Son, but he just refused to set them both up for such a devastating failure. He was especially convinced now that he would keep his feelings for the other man to himself and that maybe they should spend some time apart. Then Gohan would have the chance to get over him and find someone better suited for him…

…tbc…



A/N: Oh geez, I’m cruel. First its Goku and Chichi…now its Gohan and Piccolo and their relationship hadn’t even had a chance before the problems just dumped on them. Can things get any worse? Knowing me probably.

BTW, that whole movie scene actually happened to me a few weeks ago when I went to see a horror movie. Who brings little kids to see movies like that? The screaming scared the hell outta me, and the ushers had to come in to calm people down!

Anyway, please review. I don’t have anyone to read these for me at home so I don’t know how I’m doing if you guys don’t tell me.

Want to be notified when I update? Let me know by email or in your review. kaineko@hotmail.com