I have been given
One moment from heaven
As I am walking
Surrounded by night,
Stars high above me
Make a wish under moonlight.

On my way home
I remember
Only good days.
I'm on my way home
I can remember
Every new day.

I move in silence
With each step taken,
Snow falling 'round me
Like angels in flight,
Far in the distance
Is my wish under moonlight.

On my way home
I remember
Only good days.
On my way home
I remember all the best days.
I'm on my way home
I can remember
Every new day.

Turn it up, turn it up
turn it up, up, adieu.
Turn it up, turn it up
turn it up, up, adieu.

On my way home(Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up, up, adieu.)
I remember
Only good days

On my way home(Turn it up, turn it up, turn it up, up, adieu.)
I remember
Only good days…
- On My Way Home, by Enya
 

"Bleeding again already? Just how long has this really been going on?"

A tall green and pink-skinned figure straightened to his full height while rubbing his lower lip where a thin line of purplish-red blood
formed a trail down his pointed chin. He stood over six feet tall with a handsome face and a beautiful physique. His hooded onyx eyes gazed out from below a pair of slanted hairless brow-ridges, and his thin lips pressed themselves together in annoyance, accenting the triangular shape of his jaw.

When he spoke, his deep voice came out in the form of a soft and scratchy-sounding rasp, "Just a few months, I suppose. It's no big deal. When people fight, they bleed. Simple as that. Why are you suddenly so interested in me bleeding, Gohan?"

The tall teenager placed a hand on the back of his neck, ruffling the short locks of black hair on the back of his head. His young
features flipped from concern to apathetic, "Nothing, Piccolo. It's just that it never took one punch in the teeth to get you to bleed
before. For the past ten or so months now, I've hit you in the jaw countless times, and every time I hit you there, you bleed."

"So what!? C'mon Gohan! I'm not looking for a medical examination, I'm looking for a spar. Your training has been getting so far
behind it's not even worth being funny." Piccolo snapped irritably. He was getting fed up with Gohan pointing out the stupid little
things whenever they came up. People did get sick, after all. Even Nameks.

Gohan dodged the comment with, "Have you thought about seeing a doctor about it?"

"What, you think a foolish human specialist would know anything about a Namek?" Asked Piccolo as he folded his arms across his
broad chest and regarded his friend with a scowl.

"Um, Piccolo? Bulma examined a Namek and sent everything she discovered to medical scientists so they could figure everything
out." The younger man replied, rubbing the back of his head for another moment before crossing his arms. "It's just…this bleeding
thing has been going on for months and it's starting to worry me."

Rolling his eyes mentally, Piccolo lowered his head and remained silent as he focused momentarily on the taste of blood on his
tongue. He and Gohan had been sparring all afternoon, and his joints felt pretty sore from the work-out. As for the occasional
fatigue…that happened to everyone. Didn't it?

Finally raising his dark eyes to look towards Gohan, the Namek rumbled, "Fine, I will go see one of your weak human doctors. I
might actually get a laugh when he or she says everything is fine and I'm just under the weather." His tone darkened, "But…I'm not going to sit around all day. Either I go right in and right out, or I leave."

Gohan put his hands up. "Fine! Fine, anything you say. Just make sure you wear something other than what you have on now when
you go in there." A dopey-looking grin spread across his lips, "No sense in scaring everyone any more than we have to. Take my
advice and wear something you can take on and off easily, because doctors seem to like asking people to strip to their boxers…" He chuckled.

Piccolo curled his lip and narrowed his eyes, "Enough talk. It's time to train."

"Fine with me." Gohan dropped back into his fighting stance and proceeded to charge at his long-time friend.
 
 

How did I let myself get suckered into this? Piccolo asked himself in annoyance while following Gohan off the elevator and down the hall to a black door at the end. When the door was swung open he was greeted with sounds of coughing, talking, ringing telephones, clicking and clacking toys and the crisp smell of disinfectant.

Just about everyone's eyes turned to look at Piccolo as he entered the room. He was dressed in a tight black muscle shirt that
showed off just about every curve on his upper body, dark blue jeans and black Nike tennis shoes. His antennae were held out of his face by a black backwards-facing baseball cap.

Great, just great. The Namek thought to himself with his lip curling in irritation.

"C'mon, we can go right on in." Gohan spoke up as he rushed ahead to follow a dark-haired nurse down another hall.

Too busy feeling annoyed, Piccolo was slightly surprised to rise above his thoughts and find himself standing in a clean white room
with a tile floor and an examining table by the wall. He shrugged to himself, walked to the table and assumed the lotus position on top to wait for the doctor.

The wait wasn't long. About two minutes passed before the short Asian-looking man with short black hair and thin-rimmed glasses
entered the room. He was carrying a clip-board and had a stethoscope draped around his neck.

"Hi Dr. Takado." Gohan piped up as he hopped backwards to sit on the windowsill.

"Good morning, Gohan." Replied Takado with a rich voice, his attention quickly turning to the tall green man. "And you must be
Piccolo. It's a pleasure to meet you and - "

"I'm not into exchanging pleasantries, doc. Just look me over and get it over with." Piccolo interrupted, tightening his fists until he felt his knuckles crack.

Dr. Takado glanced up at Gohan and sweatdropped before putting his chart down and positioning his stethoscope in his ears. He took the other end and touched it to Piccolo's chest so he could listen to his heart and lungs. Piccolo cooperatively uncrossed his arms and allowed his long fingers to curl around the edge of the examining table while this was done, but the wrinkling of his nose was more than enough to suggest that he wasn't liking it one bit.

"Heart and lungs sound good to me." The doctor mumbled as he gestured for the Namek to lay down so he could continue the
examination.

The paper covering the examining table crackled as Piccolo stretched out on his back. He let a small growl of annoyance when
Takado started to palpitate his abdomen, but once again, he dealt with it in silent agitation. I still don't know how I let myself get
talked into doing this…

Gohan kicked his feet idly while watching Piccolo get his blood pressure taken and his eyes and ears examined.

Dr. Takado spoke up while pushing his glasses up on his nose. "Now that the physical is done, I hear you've been having some
strange symptoms. Would you please tell me about them?"

Piccolo sighed heavily, automatically crossing his arms as he stood up and leaned against the examining table. "I bleed easier than I
should. I'm a fighter so getting hit isn't uncommon for me, but still, a hit to the teeth bleeds for hours. If I get nicked, it won't
regenerate the way it should and…" He hesitated, glancing up at Gohan before continuing in a lower, more apathetic tone, "…My joints
seem to ache more than usual after a spar, I tire quickly and I have bruises on my legs that don't seem to fade."

"May I see them?"

Heaving another agitated sigh, Piccolo unbuckled the belt on his jeans, undid the button, unzipped the fly and shoved the blue
garment down. The ugly purple bruises on his legs glared back like a dozen accusing eyes, visible in even the darkest areas of skin.
They looked like mosquito bites, only without the swelling. When he was sure Takado had seen enough, Piccolo yanked his jeans
back up and re-arranged them properly.

Dr. Takado pondered what he'd seen for several moments while writing on his clip-board. He clicked his pen and tore off a piece of
paper, handing it to Piccolo. "I think I'll have you get some blood work done." When Piccolo turned to leave, the doctor said, "Oh yes,
and one more thing…"

"What?"

Grinning, Dr. Takado handed Piccolo a small plastic cup.

This guy has to be kidding! The Namek thought as he sneered at the doctor and walked into the bathroom. Several minutes later, he
came out with the cup full to the brim with what looked to be slightly foaming clear fluid. The only thing keeping it from splashing was
the lid.

"Is that enough or do you need more?"

"Er…that's more than enough, Piccolo. Thank you." Dr. Takado's eyes went wide at the amount for a moment before he carried it into
a back room with the other urine samples that had to be tested.

"Good. Gohan, I'm outta here. Let's get this stupid blood test so I can leave." Piccolo muttered tiredly, rubbing the back of his hand
across his eyes.

Shrugging, Gohan suppressed a laugh at Piccolo's behavior and hopped down to join him. "Thanks Dr. Takado. See ya later."
 
 

Piccolo walked out of the lab with a ball of cotton taped to the crook of each arm from more than one blood test. He said nothing to
his friend Gohan as they left the building and headed out onto the sidewalk. His mood had grown very dark, as he was not
accustomed to being in so much physical contact with people. Especially not for a physical. He hated it.

"Listen, Gohan. I'm gonna head home and meditate for awhile. All of this 'examination' stuff is giving me a headache." The Namek
sighed after walking down the street and getting a number of odd stares.

"OK, Piccolo. Are you feeling alright?"

"Gohan, I'm fine. I just want to be alone." Said Piccolo. Seconds later, he powered up his ki and scared half the city as he flew
towards his home on Kami's Lookout. Thankfully for him, Dende was staying inside and didn't come out to ask questions.

The next day, without anybody knowing it, Piccolo went all the way to the hospital for a bone-marrow test. After that painfully
annoying endeavor, he returned to the Lookout and slept for the rest of the day.
 
 

About four weeks passed before Gohan received a phone call from Dr. Takado. He immediately went to the Lookout to pick Piccolo
up and take him back to the office. Piccolo didn't bother to change clothes this time, and charged right into the office while wearing all
of his usual gear.

"OK, you wanted me here, so I'm here. What's the problem?"

Dr. Takado put his paperwork down and sighed, "Piccolo, you should sit down."

"I prefer to stand," he sneered, "Spill it!"

The man folded his hands on top of his desk and removed his glasses so he could look up at the agitated Namek with his dark brown
eyes, "Piccolo, your tests have come back. The tests, as well as your symptoms, all point to Acute Myeloid Leukemia. I don't know
how you got it, or why, but by ignoring your symptoms you have allowed it to progress to it's advanced stage."

Piccolo's pointed nose wrinkled and his eyes narrowed. It was taking all the self-control he could manage to avoid lifting the doctor by
the collar and shaking him until his brain was reduced to mush. He bore his gleaming teeth and hissed angrily, "So I have a
disease…"

"Yes." Dr. Takado lowered his eyes for a moment, then looked up again.

"OK then." He spoke down to the man like he was a little kid and planted both hands flat on the desk so he could push his face into
the doctor's, slightly enjoying the fact that he was making the man cringe a little, "Now, how bad is this…disease?"

"Well…" He spoke softly. "It's too far advanced for any treatment to work. All the chemotherapy and radiation would do is make you
more ill without helping the disease. It's a cancer - "

"I KNOW what it is! I’m not THAT naïve!" Growled Piccolo as he slammed his fist down on the doctor's desk so hard the lamp rattled.
He could feel a knot of fear forming in his stomach and rising up towards his throat. He swallowed to force it back down as he walked
to the window and gazed longingly outside. "Tell me straight up, doc. If you can't do this chemo-crap, then what CAN you do?"

"Piccolo, there is nothing that I can do! It is too far advanced for any treatments to stop or even slow it down." Dr. Takado slammed
his pen down on the desktop. "Your illness is terminal. I'm sorry."

Speechless, the Namek just stared numbly past his reflection on the window-glass in silence while Dr. Takado explained what he
should expect as the sickness progressed.
 
 

"Piccolo?" Gohan jumped up from his seat when he saw the green man walk out of the office.

Piccolo ignored Gohan's voice as he headed into the restroom. The knot in his stomach was choking him as he rushed towards the
wall, bent over one of the sinks and proceeded to expel every drop of water he had taken in that morning. He coughed and retched
horribly for another moment, placing a hand on the cold wall to maintain his balance. Two silent, un-noticeable tears joined the
vomited-up fluid as it ran down the drain in the sink.

He felt numb all over, almost like he had felt when he'd gotten that blow to the head from Nappa so long ago. Not even throwing up
could make that numb feeling disappear.

"Piccolo? Are you OK?" Gohan's voice seemed to come from the end of a long hallway.

Piccolo ignored him again for a few more seconds as he splashed cool water onto his face and shook his head to send the excess
flying in all directions.

"PICCOLO!" The voice reverberated around the bathroom.

"What!?" Deeper and more menacing, Piccolo's voice echoed throughout the room like thunder.

Gohan glared up at the Namek and spoke like he was talking to a foolish child, "Are - you - OK?"

Straightening, Piccolo faced his friend as he reached up to wipe a few glistening droplets from his brow ridges. "That doctor made a
mistake…at least it feels like he did." He finally spoke, then turned his head and bit his lip as the knot returned to his stomach. His
heart was pounding so hard he feared it would escape his chest and leap around on the bathroom floor like some wild Indian dancer.

"What did he say?" The human-Saiyajin hybrid asked while looking the green man in the eyes.

Piccolo looked everywhere he possibly could before meeting Gohan's eyes. "He says I have some disease with a long name that I
don't want to mention." He turned his head to the side and spoke even softer, "The illness is already too far advanced to treat, and I
only have six months to live."

Gohan looked and felt like someone had just punched him in the stomach. He staggered backwards a few steps until his back hit the
cold bathroom wall with a soft thud. "You…you're dying?!"

Solemnly, the Namek nodded his head with a loud exhalation of breath. A lump was rising in his throat, but he tried to ignore it as
best he could.

"No," Gohan breathed, moving forward again until he was face to face with Piccolo. "No…this should be me! You're too good, Piccolo! I
can't say goodbye forever! I can't…I can't!"

"Gohan!" Piccolo's voice cracked slightly as he grabbed the young man by the shoulders to quiet him down, "Gohan, don't be weak…"
His sentence was cut off by the lump in his throat, which threatened to become tears. The heat of that lump was traveling down his
chest and up behind his face, but he forced it down.

Reaching up, Gohan grasped fistfuls of Piccolo's majestic white cape. He stared up at the Namek's face for what seemed like an
eternity before finally letting his arms slip around his neck. Sobs overtook him as he buried his face in Piccolo's shoulderpad. "It hurt
too much when I lost you before. I won't let you go again…"

Piccolo, having not expected that, slowly and awkwardly brought his arms around to hug Gohan back. He had to force himself to do
it, because just about every other part of his conscious mind was uncomfortable with the sudden close contact. "Don't be weak,
Gohan. You hear me?" When the man wouldn't respond, he grabbed him by the shoulders, "Do you?"

Stepping back, Gohan shook his head almost angrily, "No. I'm nothing without you, Piccolo…"

"Nothing? NOTHING?!!" His eyes widened furiously, "I wasn't there with you on Namek when you went after the Namekian Dragon
Balls, was I? I didn't get there to face Frieza until his first transformation, and you gave him a beating in the meantime. You call that
nothing?!"

Gohan said, "I fought because I knew you were coming back! Because I wanted to show you that I was a good student."

"Then continue to show me before I decide to beat the lesson into you." Piccolo stated tersely. His cape rustled in agitation when he
turned and loped out of the bathroom to fly away, leaving Gohan behind in the sudden silence.

Piccolo flew out of the city as fast as he could fly, becoming a white contrail in the cloudy sky as rain began to fall. He reached the
desert in less than five minutes, and released his ki when he could no longer see the city in the distance. Clouds of dust rose when
his brown raw-hide shoes touched down on the rapidly-moistening sand, punctuated by the rustle of his cape.

Immediately upon landing, the Namek fell to his hands and knees in the wet desert sand. His green hands clenched into fists, each
finger leaving imprints in the sand as he grasped a handful in his fists. Sitting up again, Piccolo closed his eyes, put his head back and
let the rain beat across his angular green face. He even parted his lips a little to drink a few drops of the sky's offering.

"Why…just why?" Piccolo asked the sky. His only answer was a distant flash of lightning.

Lowering his head again, Piccolo opened his eyes to see his reflection in a small puddle. The falling raindrops were distorting the
image, making it look thin and sickly. He closed his eyes again, raised his fist and brought it splashing down into the lying reflection.

He felt lump in his throat return stronger than before. This time, however, the Namek did nothing to force down it's progress as it
assaulted his chest, throat and face with a burning sensation. He felt his trembling lower lip curl itself downwards, he felt the inner
linings of his nose grow moist and he watched his own vision blur. Sobs, silent and secret, shook his body as he sat up to draw in a
breath. He bent over again a moment later, taking his hands out of the sand so he could cover his face.

The rain continued to beat down like ropes suspended from the sky, and Piccolo continued to release his tears and let them mix with
ones from the clouds. He sobbed very openly and vocally, the desert and the angry storm being the only witnesses to his walls of
stone coming down.
 
 

At home, in his room, Gohan stood by the window and watched the rain trickle down his window-panes like tears; every now and
then, the wind would blow the droplets directly onto the glass to make a gentle pitter-patter sound. His homework lay untouched on
his desk, save for the few tear-stains that blotted the ink on his notes. Sometimes bright flashes of lightning would illuminate the dark
world, leaving Gohan to wonder just where Piccolo was and what he was doing.

Piccolo…what is this like for you? Is your heart breaking the way mine is? Are you as afraid as I am? He asked silently. His only reply
was a roll of thunder that reminded him of Piccolo's deep voice.

"Gohan?" The door creaked open as a ebony-haired, blue-eyed figure clad in a purple kimono entered the room. "You should be
studying."

Gohan's dark eyes drifted to look at ChiChi's reflection in the glass of his window. "Mom…I can't even think right now."

ChiChi reached a pale hand down to smooth a wrinkle out of her purple kimono before walking closer to her son. She reached up to
put some order into his rebellious hair as she spoke, "You know you can talk to me about it. C'mon." Mocking a strict face, she
continued, "Out with it."

Any other time, Gohan would have just looked down and said 'aw, mom!'. But this wasn't a time to laugh for him. Earlier that
afternoon, his heart had been ripped out and used for a hockey-puck, then handed back to him. Well, that was how it felt to Gohan,
anyway.

"Piccolo's sick, mom…" He said with a sigh and bit his lip.

"Ugh, then don't go near him or you'll catch it too!" ChiChi replied before he could finish.

Gohan looked up, "Not like that!" He closed his eyes for a moment and opened them again when he could trust his voice not to crack,
"He's dying."

She blinked. "Can't Dende heal him or something?"

The young man's hands closed into fists at his sides in slight anger. "He can cure wounds, not diseases." His lower lip began to
tremble slightly, "I keep feeling like it's all a mistake, or a sick joke…"

Just as all mothers do, ChiChi felt Gohan's pain as he explained the reason for his being so upset. Reaching up, she caught him up in
a gentle embrace and patted his back softly. "Gohan…I-I'm sorry. How long have you known this?"

"Since earlier this afternoon." Gohan whispered against ChiChi's shoulder.

ChiChi watched a streak of lightning splay itself across the sky, followed by a loud crack of thunder that shook the windows. "Is there
anything I can do for you?"

"Just…hold me…"
 
 

Two days was all it took for news of Piccolo's illness to spread to the entire Z-gang. ChiChi had called Mrs. Briefs, and she had been
so shocked that she called just about everyone else. Vegeta had covered up his shock by laughing and storming into the gravity
chamber. Bulma and Mr. Briefs were quiet. Yamcha, Krillin and 18 were quiet. Master Roshi was so shocked that he fell out of his
chair. Trunks was a bit upset, as were Tien and Chaozu.

Everyone had their own reactions.
 
 

Tien, Krillin and Yamcha were sitting outside in the sun by the Capsule Corporation buildings, just goofing around and talking about
the upcoming fighting tournament. It was more for show than to give out a title, but there were still going to be some pretty big
fights.

"So, are you entering?" Tien asked his friends while sipping his soda. His two normal eyes watched Krillin while the third one on his
forehead wandered over to Yamcha.

"As soon as they accept entries, you can bet I'll be in." Krillin answered excitedly as he crushed his can and tossed it towards the
garbage bin. The can hit the rim of the garbage bin, bounced off and glinted in the light as it clattered to the ground. "Nuts…"

"Of course! The ladies will need someone good-looking to enter, right?" Yamcha answered with a laugh.

"Yeah, right." Tien's three eyes rolled simultaneously.

All three of them fell silent when Piccolo landed with his cape flapping in the wind and his arms folded across his broad chest. The
sunlight played off the different hues of his grass-green skin and deep black eyes, which held an apathetic expression. He regarded
them all with his usual scowl before showing the most minimal signs of relaxing to a less imposing posture.

"Er…eh…hi Piccolo!" Krillin finally said with a fake grin and a peace sign. "What's up?"

Piccolo's lip curled slightly. "Nothing you need to know. Where is Gohan? He isn't home and hasn't come to see me."

"If he's here…I wouldn't know it." Yamcha replied honestly while crushing his silver can of root-beer and tossing it nonchalantly into
the trash without missing.

Tien said, "If I see him, I will tell him you came."

Piccolo offered a soft snort of annoyance, walked to a nearby tree and parked himself at it's base to wait for Gohan. The three
friends found their conversation had died completely and all of their eyes were on the Namek like he was the most interesting thing in
the world.

"It must suck to be him…" Yamcha muttered through the corner of his mouth and ran a hand through the black locks of his hair. He
was growing it out again; it was already past his shoulders.

Tien whispered back, "It is a shame."

"Who'd have thought something like that could happen to him?" Krillin spoke under his breath, holding a hand near his mouth so only
the other two would hear.

Piccolo's large pointed ears were easily picking up the whispered comments. Hearing them caused a wad of anger to make itself
apparent in the pit of his stomach. He gritted his teeth to ignore the three, but they kept up with their stupid pity-talk! Frankly, it was
making Piccolo sick.

Standing up, he glared at all three of them and growled, "Don't start with the pity crap around me."

All three of the men jumped and looked over at the Namek while mentally kicking themselves for forgetting about his powerful
hearing. Despite their efforts not to, they found their eyes looking Piccolo over for any signs of his illness. There were none; Piccolo's
eyes were still just as sharp and clear as before, the veins still stood out on a few of his muscles and his voice still had it's steady,
raspy sounding whisper.

"Sorry, Piccolo." Krillin finally spoke and sweat-dropped.

Yamcha looked down guiltily for a moment before raising his eyes to Piccolo again, "Wanna join us and chit-chat about the fighting
tournament that's coming up?"

"Yeah, c'mon over, Piccolo! Of all things, fighting has to be your fave, right?" Tien asked nervously, silently praying that the tall green
man wasn't planning to kick him into the next century.

Piccolo heaved a sigh of agitation. All three of them, Tien, Krillin and Yamcha, were all looking at him with this weird look in their
eyes. They weren't aware of it, obviously, but it was still very irritating. Just one thing about me changes and everybody suddenly
wants to hang around with me! What is up with THAT?

"I'll be joining the tournament when they begin to take entries, and so will Gohan." He narrowed his eyes at them, but when they still
continued to give him that odd look, he added angrily, "And STOP with the pity party!"

All three of them cringed and turned around to get back to their conversation. Piccolo growled in agitation and proceeded to seat
himself under the tree to wait for Gohan. Several more minutes passed before he felt a presence and lifted his head to find Gohan
finally dropping from the sky to come in for a graceful landing.

"Hey, Piccolo. I guess I missed you by a few seconds when I went into the valley to find you."

"No problem." Piccolo heaved himself to his feet and sighed mentally when he noticed Gohan's eyes had the same weird look as Tien,
Yamcha and Krillin. It was like everyone could see the words 'I am dying' written across his forehead, and it irritated him to no end!
"C'mon, let's start training. I want you to enter that tournament with me and win."

Gohan blinked as he looked up at his mentor. The tournament Piccolo was speaking of was in exactly six months. How could he
speak of joining it when…

"Something on your mind, kid?" Asked Piccolo in a warning tone.

"N-no. Let's go." Gohan lied, taking swiftly to the air to avoid letting his thoughts plague his mind any further. Glancing back, he could
see Piccolo hot on his heels, so he picked up speed until all that was left of his presence was a white contrail across the clear blue
sky.

"He doesn't look sick!" Vegeta commented, having come out of the gravity room with a towel around his neck. He was shirtless and
covered in sweat, his every bulging muscle glistening in the sun. His eyebrows were drawn into their typical frown and his lips slowly
formed into a smirk as he looked to Tien, Yamcha and Krillin.

"Well, not yet anyway." Krillin muttered.

"Shut up, Cue-ball Head! I wasn't talking to you!" The arrogant man snarled before turning his attention to the sky where Piccolo was
just disappearing. Even I never would have thought someone like him…humph! He tore the towel away from his neck and brushed it
across his brow to get over his momentary lesson in mortality.

"Vegeta, give him a break already." Yamcha sighed as he opened another can of soda and took a sip.
 
 

"I'm not going to break, Gohan. Come on!"

Gohan sighed and rushed full-force at Piccolo to continue the briefly interrupted spar. Piccolo blocked his hits, but not before getting
nailed in the ribs with a kick. The wind knocked out of him, he dispatched Gohan and took a moment to regain the ability to breathe
before taking his stance on again.

"Piccolo…don't you think you should take a break to catch your breath?" Asked Gohan softly.

Piccolo narrowed his black eyes to slits, rushed at Gohan and grabbed him by the collar, lifting him off the ground. "Listen to me, and
listen to me good, Gohan! Don't start treating me any different than you used to. I may be sick, but I'm not sick yet. So stop acting
like I am so we can train to join that tournament!"

Closing his eyes, Gohan cringed, "That tournament is in six months Piccolo…"

"I don't care if that stupid tournament is in six YEARS, Gohan! I want you to enter with me, and I want you to win." Piccolo lowered
Gohan to the ground and stepped back to start the spar once again.

The sparring continued long into the evening. At one point. Gohan blundered a move so horrendously that Piccolo actually started to
laugh at him for a moment or two. The sound was one like thunder echoing off the hills; distant, quiet, but there none-the-less. After
that, they stripped down to clean off and exercise in the river below the waterfall. Gohan sat under a gentle waterfall and watched
Piccolo finish removing his clothing. His eyes wandered to the nasty-looking bruises dotting the Namek's long, toned legs.

Gohan's eyes wandered up his mentor's body, but not in a homosexual way. He was simply memorizing the little things. Like the lazy
way in which Piccolo's bare glistening back muscles rippled as he rotated his arms to loosen them after the day's work-out; the lazy
way his antennae were falling across his face, which glistened with sweat; the way his muscles all worked in tandem as he performed
a beautiful handstand, then pushed off and backflipped to dive into the river below with a splash small enough to make Olympic gold
medalists jealous.

"Show-off." Gohan chuckled as Piccolo surfaced.

Piccolo just glowered at the young man and allowed himself to sink beneath the surface for a very relaxing underwater meditation.
That is, until he found a face about two inches from his. He snarled, swam to the surface and heard another splash behind him,
followed by Gohan's laughter.

"So you think that's funny, Gohan?" The Namek sneered. "You're acting completely childish. Psh. Making faces underwater."

Gohan's face fell and he sighed, turning around so he could paddle himself to shore. Before he could move three feet, a large green
hand came down on the top of his head and shoved him underwater.

"Ack!" He gurgled and sputtered on the water while Piccolo snickered and swam to shore. After realizing who the culprit was, he
began to laugh as well. He'd actually made Piccolo goof off!

When everything had calmed down and they were more or less dressed again, the Namek and the half-Saiyajin relaxed on their
backs to watch the stars overhead. The sky was crystal clear, making the stars appear to be thousands of water droplets on a canvas
of black velvet.

Gohan, lying with his hands behind his head like a pillow, finally spoke up to break the silence, "Hey, Piccolo? I have a question that I
want you to answer honestly. Whatever you say will be between just you and I."

Piccolo, who was lying on his back with his arms crossed, rumbled without turning his head, "What's the question? It better not be
anything foolish…"

"It isn't. It's serious." He shook his head. "Are you afraid to die?"

Shocked by the question, Piccolo turned his head to look over at Gohan. One of his slender antennae grazed the ground as he took a
deep breath and sighed, "I'm afraid of dying, Gohan, but I'm not afraid to die."

His brow furrowed, "I don't understand…"

The green man sat up and lowered his head. He was still shirtless, so his pointed chin nearly came to rest between his clavicles when
he lowered his head. "I'm going to become very ill and suffer a lot of pain before I die, Gohan. I may become so weak that I won't
even be able to take care of my own needs…" He heaved a sigh and opened his dark eyes to look towards the sky. His Adam's apple
bobbed gently up and down as he swallowed and licked his lips, "I just…don't want to be alone…I began my life alone and I don't want
to end it that way…" He was thankful for the darkness, because it was hiding the tears that had managed to make their way down his
cheeks.

Gohan sat up and scooted over to place a warm hand on Piccolo's cool shoulder. Tears were brimming in his black eyes as he
imagined this man lying out in the desert, crying, in pain and alone. No, it just wasn't right! Piccolo had done so much for him! Gohan
swallowed the sob before it could escape his voice-box and spoke, "Then…when you get too sick to care for yourself, come stay with
my mom and I. We'll take care of you until you… Then you won't be all alone."

Piccolo opened his eyes and turned his head to look towards Gohan, his antennae brushing aside some of the young man's rebellious
black bangs, "Are you kidding? Your mother wouldn't want me in the house with her."

"I'm going to talk to her about it…and tell her about everything you have ever done for me. She needs to know, Piccolo…" Gohan
squeezed his friend's shoulder when he felt him shift slightly, not yet wanting to let go of him. "I know my mom pretty darn well. If
she knew what a great guy you are, she'd want to help me tend to your needs later."

Piccolo faced forward again and closed his eyes, his lips stretching into a lopsided smile. It wasn't often that someone offered
kindness to him so graciously, and he almost forgot how to accept it. "I'll think about it."

"OK. Lemme know when you make up your mind. I've gotta go study now…mom's probably having a fit." Gohan stood up and started
to walk away, "Come by my house tomorrow. I'll have talked to her by then. Do yourself a favor and try to be nice, OK?" He
smirked, "Bye!"

"See ya, kid." Piccolo replied as he watched Gohan fly away and disappear in the starry sky. Only after he was long gone, did the
Namek speak out loud once more, "You're the best friend I've ever had, Gohan…" He lowered his head again into the meditation
position, "One like me doesn't deserve one such as you. I only hope that you'll be OK when I'm gone…" His expression hardened,
"Feh…I'm definitely going soft."
 
 

"Gohan! Where in Earth have you been!?" ChiChi charged out of the house the moment she saw her son landing outside. "You're
getting behind in math and science! What are you thinking!?"

"I was spending some time with Piccolo, mom." Said Gohan as he straightened the wrinkles out of his shirt, which was buttoned
wrong. "We need to talk."

"You're darn right, we need to talk! Get into the house this instant!" ChiChi shrieked, pulling the door open further so Gohan could
pass.

Gohan walked past his mother and stopped with his back to her. His fists clenched and unclenched slowly when he felt the heat of her
eyes boring into the back of his head like a pair of lasers. Mother, I love you dearly, but this time I have to stand up to you… "Mom? I
think what I have to say is more important than my homework. Please…it's important to me, and I need you to listen."

ChiChi's angry expression began to soften despite her annoyance that he wasn't studying at that very moment, "Let's go sit down in
the living room."

Nodding, Gohan headed into the living room and sat down on the couch. ChiChi joined him, the couch creaking slightly in protest to
the two weights sitting on it's cushions.

"Now, I know you don't like Piccolo…I'm sure he probably scares you, but you don't know him like I do." He looked down at his hands
for a moment, closed his eyes and started to speak, telling the whole story of his friendship with the Namek; the battles they went
through, the times when one or the other had been seriously hurt and the sacrifice Piccolo had made during the fight with the
Saiyajins.

ChiChi listened attentively, the way all mothers do, and her blue eyes watched the expressions her son made as he spoke. She could
tell just how much the boy really did care about the Namek. When Gohan's voice finally went quiet, ChiChi felt as if she knew Piccolo
more than she ever had before. She no longer thought of him as a monster, or a freak.

"Now, there's one more thing I need to talk about." Gohan spoke up after letting the effect of his story sink in.

Tilting her head so she could brush her dark bangs from her eyes with a pale hand, ChiChi replied, "Alright…shoot."

He took a deep breath, "Mom…when Piccolo's illness incapacitates him…I was wondering if you'd help me take care of him until
he…he…" The young man couldn't bring himself to say the word 'die', and felt tears fall down his cheeks instead. "He told me himself
that he doesn't want to be alone…"

ChiChi lowered her head in silence for several long moments as she tried to imagine Piccolo dying in a bed, weak and in pain.
Though she couldn't picture it, just thinking of it caused her to cringe un-noticeably. Finally, she whispered, "Gohan?"

"Hm?"

"Go into your room and shift a few things around." She answered.

Gohan blinked in the same air-headed way as his father Goku used to do, "Why?"

"So there will be enough room for the bed I'm going to order from the hospital tomorrow." ChiChi lifted her gaze to Gohan's and
smiled softly.

With his eyes lighting up, Gohan leaned forward and hugged his mother, "Thanks, mom! Really…thanks."

Nodding as she hugged back, ChiChi's smile turned to a grin as she fake-punched him in the chin. "Go on now. And then I want you
to STUDY, do you understand?"

"Yes, mom." He flashed a peace sign, then hurried into his room and looked around for the best things to move. His eyes settled on
the desk by the window. "He'd want to see outside…maybe even open the window to feel the breeze…"

Working quickly, Gohan removed everything from his desk and pulled it away from the wall. He scooted it aside until it was scraping
the night-stand, then went to move his bookshelf out into the hallway. In doing all this, he was making quite a racket, but ChiChi
didn't mind as she headed into her own room to sleep for the night.
 
 

Glistening dewdrops twinkled in the newborn light as the morning sun rose like a huge golden orb over the horizon. Animals began to
awaken and crawl from their hiding places. Birds were starting to sing and farmers were coming out to work in their fields.

The sun gradually rose higher to illuminate some of the lush greenery by the waterfall, and it's golden rays fell across a very
prominent looking jade-green cheekbone. Equally green eyelids fluttered when the light bathed them, and a small grunt of annoyance
broke the songs of the birds as a pair of dark eyes slid open. Sharply-curved lips stretched into as brief a yawn as possible, flashing
a glimpse of the sharp fangs hidden within.

Piccolo stirred and got to his feet, remaining bent at the waist to breathe for a moment before straightening to his full height. He
began to think sleeping outside was a bad idea when it took him a moment to catch his breath. Was his illness starting to affect him
already?

Stretching as he walked, Piccolo strode out into the sunlight and towards the stream for a refreshing morning drink of water. He stood
at the water's edge for a moment to gaze at his reflection, which wasn't quite what it used to be. Though nobody else seemed to
notice, he had lost a few pounds. The tightest parts of his gi hung slightly loose and his cheekbones seemed a little more pronounced
than normal; he hadn't noticed those changes lately because, well, it had been a long time since he had seen his reflection.

Piccolo knelt at the edge of the babbling stream and gathered some water into his cupped hands so he could drink. He splashed what
remained on his face and used a corner of his cape to dry off. Then he sighed and looked towards the sky, "I guess I can't put this
off any longer…"

Flipping his cape over his shoulder, Piccolo prepared to take off when a sudden jab of pain in his joints forced him to his knees. It felt
like his blood vessels were filled with acid! Every part of his body was in pain! Pain unlike any he had ever known. The Namek felt
blackness pricking at the edges of his vision as he crawled to the nearest tree and propped himself in a sitting position against it's
trunk. Tears of pain streaked down his sweaty face as he sat panting through a gaping jaw, no longer caring what happened to him
or who found him. Then unconsciousness rose up, finally saving him from the agony.

When Piccolo regained consciousness, he found himself curled up on his side beneath the tree he'd crawled to earlier. Judging by the
sun, he guessed that he'd been out for at least an hour, but at least the pain had sunk to a tolerable level. Most of all, nobody had
come looking for him and found him that way.

Breathing a sigh of relief, Piccolo shakily got to his feet and took off, flying towards the Son residence as if nothing had happened.
 
 

ChiChi was just finishing her own breakfast when she saw a flash of green pass the window. It startled her to such a degree that she
nearly dropped the cup of tea she was sipping.

Outside the door, Piccolo was just about to reach over and turn the knob when the door suddenly opened. He found himself looking
down at a slightly shocked ChiChi. Dang! That woman must have had super senses or something!

ChiChi blinked when she looked up at the tall Namek; she had never really gotten a very good look at him before. The sun was at his
back, shrouding some of his features in shadow, but his dark hooded eyes were still clear and highly visible above his pronounced
cheekbones. His nose came to a perfect point and had very small, narrow nostrils. Equally pointed, the tip of the Namek's chin rested
atop the white collar of his shoulderpads. His upper lip curved in a sharp cupid's bow and seemed a little larger than his lower lip. And
his ears seemed like two angular shadows, placed on either side of his face to balance out his strangely amazing features.

What amazed ChiChi most of all was the fact that so many of his facial features were so…human, and had a very strange,
indescribable beauty. She almost reached up and touched his face to see if it was real or not.

"Piccolo! Um…come on in. Gohan should be up in a little while. He was up late studying last night." She spoke nervously while pulling
the door open further so Piccolo could come in. When he walked past, she closed the door and crossed her arms, "So…would you like
to sit and talk?"

I can't believe I let myself get suckered into this deal. Piccolo thought as he nodded blankly and followed ChiChi into the kitchen. He
perched himself awkwardly on one of the chairs at the table while she brought him a mug of water and sat down across from him
with a mug of tea.

"I heard you were sick with something…Gohan says you didn't tell him exactly what it was, so I was wondering if you would mind
telling me." ChiChi spoke softly as she stirred the contents of her cup with a small spoon.

Piccolo sighed and took a sip of his water, then settled the mug roughly back onto the table. He didn't like to talk about himself very
much. His deep scratchy voice reverberated slightly around the kitchen as he spoke, "It's called Acute Myeloid Leukemia, if I
remember correctly." He moved his eyes away from hers and looked down at his mug instead.

ChiChi bit her lip and stopped stirring her tea as a momentary wave of emotion washed over her. "My…my mother died of that same
cancer…" Her lips pressed together for a moment, "When she became too weak to take care of herself, I remember how I tried to
take care of her. I was only about five at the time, so I didn't understand that she wasn't going to get better."

Piccolo listened silently, giving an occasional nod to show he heard as he stared at the water in his mug like it was the most
interesting thing in the world. Holy Kami…he was terrible with conversations that didn't have anything to do with fighting! It took him
several moments to figure out what to ask, "What…" He cringed inwardly, "What was your mother like?"

Glancing up to make sure she heard right, ChiChi answered, "She was a very small, soft-spoken woman…I remember how I used to
think she was a living porcelain doll. Her name was Ashi." She smiled softly, "My mother used to cook all the time. The house always
smelled like one food or another…so I'm sure I got my love for cooking from her, because my father is terrible at it. So what about
you? Did you have a mother?"

The Namek almost did a nose-dive into his drink. He sweatdropped and replied, "Nameks don't have mothers…we don't reproduce the
same way you do."

ChiChi sweatdropped too, "Oh…then how?"

"We regurgitate eggs that usually hatch soon after they hit the open air." Piccolo sweatdropped again, "Nameks are all asexual."

"O…K…" She took a gulp of her tea and asked, "Then what was your father like?"

"Evil." Was all Piccolo said in reply, "I never knew him…but he gave me every memory he had before coughing up the egg with me in
it just a few seconds before Goku killed him. I'm sure you know the whole Piccolo Daimaou story…well Daimaou was my father…"

Gohan was just coming out of his room when he heard Piccolo's voice. He tip-toed up to the kitchen and peeked around the corner to
find Piccolo sitting at the kitchen table, talking softly with ChiChi. Piccolo was staring down into his mug, his fingers looped around the
handle, and ChiChi was stirring the contents of her mug while looking across the table at the green man. A smile spread across
Gohan's face, making him look like Goku for a few seconds. He came! Thanks Piccolo…you don't know how much this means to my
mom and I…

ChiChi gazed across the table at Piccolo, watching him twirl his index finger around the rim of his mug. Any other time she had seen
him, he had looked intimidating or downright angry. But this time he seemed strangely sad, almost like nothing mattered to him
anymore. Even his onyx-black eyes lacked their usual glint. In fact, Piccolo almost looked like he was about to burst into tears or cry
out in rage.

Slowly, tentatively, ChiChi reached across the table and placed her hand over Piccolo's free one, which was lying palm-down on the
tabletop. His tough-textured, smooth and slightly soft skin was cool to the touch. The motion Piccolo's finger was making around the
rim of the mug came to an abrupt halt as the Namek's eyes shifted to the pale hand lying on the back of his own.

"Piccolo, there is something I'd like to show you" ChiChi whispered, then stood up.

Gohan jumped and dashed down the hall to the bathroom, un-noticed by Piccolo and ChiChi as they passed.

ChiChi headed down the hall to Gohan's room, pushing the door further open to reveal a bed that had recently been slept in and
another bed next to it by the window. It was an adjustable bed with electric controls and bedrails. The bed was accessorized with
checkered sheets, pillows, a blanket and a comforter that matched Gohan's. Since the curtains were open, sunlight streamed across
the bed, and a gentle breeze whispered in through the window, bringing the scent of the outdoors.

Next to the bed, Piccolo noticed, was a small table with various medicines…medicines he should have been taking to prevent the
attack of pain he'd had earlier.

"Gohan asked me to let you stay with us when you get too ill to care for yourself. I wouldn't have said yes, but then he told me
everything you two went through together…some of it moved me to tears and I realized he had become so strong because of you. I
felt that I owed this to you for thinking you were such a cruel man." ChiChi smiled slightly at him, "I was also wondering if you'd like
to start sleeping here so you can get used to this place before you're 'stuck' in it."

Piccolo tore his gaze away from the room to look down at her amused expression. The corner of his mouth curled upwards slightly
for a moment or two, "I suppose I could try it for awhile. Never slept in a bed my whole life anyway." He blinked, then lowered his
head slightly for a few seconds, "I…don't know how to thank you. You really don't have to do this for me."

ChiChi reached over and socked Piccolo in the shoulderpad, "You just did, big guy." She was alerted by the toilet flushing, and
glanced down the hall at where Gohan was emerging from the bathroom. He waved at Piccolo, and ChiChi said, "Well, I gotta go start
breakfast. You're welcome to join us."

"Nah, I think I'll just…hang out…in here for awhile."

"O…K…well, call me if you need anything. And by the way…take some of your medicine before you get into too much pain, alright?"
ChiChi spoke as if she had empathically felt his pain, then smiled sweetly and disappeared into the kitchen to get breakfast started.

Piccolo said nothing to reply as he walked to his new bed, crossed his arms and turned his back to it so he could seat himself. It
came as a shock when the soft mattress gave under his weight, and he nearly fell off on the other side. His ability to levitate saved
him, however. He growled at the bed before carefully allowing himself to assume the lotus position and look around the room.

Aside from the messy bed, the room seemed pretty clean. The desk was piled high with books, and a few papers were neatly
arranged next to an open book with a red cover.

Piccolo glanced at the complicated math problems in the book until his eyes crossed. As far as 'education' was concerned, he only
had the basics, only knowing very simple math and reading. If Gohan surpassed him in anything, it was definitely education. How can
that kid stay sane when he has to stare at this all day long?

A wave of pain washed over him, snapping him from his thoughts. Without thinking, Piccolo grabbed one of the pill bottles with a red
lid, tore it open and dumped one of the red pills onto his mouth. He swallowed it dry and waited in silent agony until the wave started
to ebb.

"I don't have time for this!" He growled, staring at the bottle in his hand. "Maybe I should go train…after I rest for another moment
anyway…" The Namek stretched out on the bed as the pain medicine began to take effect. Lying on the soft egg-crate mattress gave
him the feeling of floating on a cloud. Though he would never openly admit it right away, he liked it.

Meanwhile, out in the kitchen, Gohan had just finished scarfing down three plates of pancakes, two bowls of cereal, several pieces of
bacon and almost a dozen hard-boiled eggs. He belched loudly and said, "So, what do you think of Piccolo now, mom? Now that
you've met him, anyway…"

ChiChi smiled, the dishes clanking together as she washed, rinsed and put them away, "He's alright, I suppose. Pretty quiet man, if
you ask me."

"Piccolo is always pretty quiet, mom." Gohan chuckled as he stood up, "I guess I'll go see how he's doing in my room."

"OK…" ChiChi turned around and shook a finger at him, "But you had better buckle down and finish the homework you didn't finish
last night, got it?" She glared at him like 'you'd better agree or I'll smack you'.

"Yes, mom."

She smiled and turned around to finish with the dishes. "That's my scholar!"

Gohan trudged into his room and stopped when he noticed Piccolo was sound asleep on the bed ChiChi had ordered for him. As
quietly as possible, he tip-toed up to the bed and whispered, "Piccolo?"

"Hmm?" Came the groggy reply.

"Are you going to train at all today?" He asked softly.

"Mmhmm…"

Gohan chuckled softly at Piccolo's drowsy sleep-talk and scooted back to sit down in the chair by his desk. "OK. When you're ready.
I'll be studying 'till then."
 
 

~A few months later…~

Piccolo formed an X with his arms as he blocked Gohan's fierce punches. Gohan was surrounded by golden light, and his hair was like
a yellow flame on his head. His eyes were like eerie gems that burned with turquoise flames.

"Good! Faster, Gohan!" The Namek winced as the repeated blows started to wear on his arms, which were bruising severely and
turning several shades of purple.

Gohan did as he was ordered and increased the speed of his punches until he could hardly keep up with himself. He finished with a
flip-kick that pushed Piccolo back a few feet. He landed on his feet to find Piccolo sitting on the ground, seeming totally exhausted
from just trying to keep up with his student's punches.

Piccolo's illness was starting to become more visible than it had before. He had lost some weight, which made him look more like he
did when he was younger, but he wasn't skeletal. Stubborn as always, he still refused to rest when he was tired or in pain. Ever since
the pain medicine had put him to sleep three months ago, he had avoided it as much as possible. When the pain became
excruciating, he would leave, find a secluded place and just lie there in tears until the pangs passed.

Lately, the pangs had been getting longer, more intense and harder to shake off. And little did he know that Gohan knew he was
suffering.

"Piccolo? Are you OK?" Gohan asked.

"I'm fine. I don't need you trying to pamper me every time I take a break." Piccolo snapped as his left lower eyelid started to twitch
slightly. He could feel the beginnings of a pain coming on like a dull ache in his joints as he moved to stand. Before he could take off
the escape, the pain slammed into him full-force and nearly made him black out. A very obscene word escape his mouth as he
crumpled back to the ground.

"Piccolo!?!" Gohan cried out in shock when he saw his normally strong teacher become a mass of writhing green and pink flesh at his
feet.

"I'm…fine!!!" Piccolo growled with his face partially pressed into the ground as he tried not to sob with all his might. Tears of pain
were trickling down his nose and onto the grass, which almost matched his green flesh. "Go away…" The agony finally won over his
mind, his face contorted and soft sobs started to break through. "Just go away…"

Gohan lowered to sit next to Piccolo and took him up into his arms. Tears blurred his vision, a hot lump rose in his throat and his
voice cracked as he spoke, "Piccolo…you never left my side when I needed your help. And I'm not going to leave yours when you
need mine…" He looked down at Piccolo's agonized expression and the glistening tears that rolled down his face. He listened to his
teacher's sobs of pain and anger. He felt the Namek's body trembling and shaking as he cried.

Piccolo's arms had wrapped around Gohan on several occasions, mostly to drag him out of harm's way or carry him to safety. Now it
was Gohan's turn to wrap his arms around his beloved friend and comfort him in his time of need. Dammit…I'll train harder if I have
to, I'll take better care of him…whatever he needs…but please don't let him suffer like this. If anybody can hear me…make his pain
stop!

When Piccolo's cries fell silent, Gohan picked him up and carried him home. ChiChi was working in the kitchen when they came in.

"Gohan! Lunch is - AAH!! What happened to him?!"

"Pain." Gohan answered tersely as he carried Piccolo into his room and gently put him down on the adjustable bed "I'm gonna get his
meds."

ChiChi blinked and nodded to Gohan as he passed, not really getting a chance to reply. She went about setting the table for lunch,
the dishes clanking gently as they were moved around and set down.

"Mom!" Gohan exploded back into the living room, wild-eyed with worry, "His emergency meds are out! I'm gonna run into the city to
get some more."

ChiChi swallowed, "OK…I'll stay with him. Go."

As Gohan left, ChiChi filled a metal mixing bowl with cool water, grabbed a clean rag and walked into the bedroom where Piccolo was
trembling on the bed. He was biting his lip so fiercely that reddish-purple blood was streaming down the side of his jade-colored face.
His eyeridges were drawn together, his eyes were squeezed shut and tears of pain were trickling down his cheeks. He was in so
much pain that he couldn't move. It was like his blood had become acid and was burning him from the inside out!

ChiChi put the bowl down on Gohan's desk and plunged the cloth into the cool water. The water sloshed gently as she wrung the cloth
out, turned to the bed and pressed it gently to Piccolo's sweaty forehead. With her free hand, she picked up a piece of gauze from
the table where the pill bottles were and started to clean the blood away from his face.

"Hey…stop biting yourself…" She brushed the gauze against his teeth, which were pressing themselves further and further into his
lower lip. Piccolo cooperated and stopped biting his lip to reveal that the blood was actually coming from his gums, not his lower lip.
Deep dents in his lower lip marked where he had been biting down.

"Dammit…" Piccolo whispered as another pang began anew.

"Shhh…it's OK…" The dark-haired woman breathed.

"No, it's NOT!" He growled, "This hurts!"

"I know…Gohan's getting you some more pills. He'll be back soon." ChiChi spoke as soothingly as she could while re-moistening the
cloth and brushing it gently over his handsome green face. "Let me help you until then…" Piccolo didn't say anything, so she took his
silence as compliance and gently placed her hand in his as she began to speak, "Imagine you're at a beach somewhere. Tell me what
it looks like."

Piccolo didn't speak, but his fingers did close around her hand as the pain started to increase again.

"Don't think, Piccolo. Just say whatever comes to mind." ChiChi put the cloth down and let her pale hand come to rest on his
forehead, just above his antennae. "What color is the sand?"

"There…is no sand. Cliff…" Piccolo breathed through clenched teeth, no longer caring about anything anymore. At this point, he would
do anything to be rid of the pain.

ChiChi blinked, "OK then…what color is the cliff?"

Piccolo turned his head from side to side a few times, the frown on his brow deepening as the battled the pain. When he spoke, it was
almost a sob, "White…"

"What about the water?" She lowered her voice to a whisper so she wouldn't agitate him further, and unconsciously started to stroke
the Namek's green brow.

"…white…" His hand tightened around hers, the frown on his brow lessening with each pass of her gentle hand along it's furrowed
surface.

"And the sky? What does it look like?" She asked, squeezing his hand back.

"I…I can see the whole universe…"

ChiChi smiled halfway as she listened to Piccolo's soft voice. He was describing the painting on the wall across from the foot of the
bed he was lying in. Eternity was the title of the picture, which was very surreal and very beautiful.

The pain was starting to fade from Piccolo's face a little; his breathing had calmed down a bit and he wasn't frowning as fiercely as he
was before. ChiChi rubbed her thumb over the vein on the back of his hand and whispered, "Are you going to jump off this cliff right
now?"

Piccolo slowly shook his head no, keeping his eyes closed.

"Why not?"

"Afraid…" He took a breath and opened his eyes to find ChiChi looking down at him worriedly while he continued to speak softly
without really knowing why. "When I was really young, I tried jumping off a cliff and into the sea. Almost broke my neck… Someday I
want to jump again, just so I can tell myself I'm able to do it…" The Namek continued to talk softly, and the dark-haired woman
continued to listen.

Ever since she had let Piccolo live in her home, ChiChi had found herself growing more and more attached to him. It was really
strange, but she noticed that he rarely smiled, almost like he was in a state of constant sadness or discord. And, ever since she had
learned of his illness, she felt the need to help care for him in order to make up for all the awful things she once thought of him.

Ever since he had started staying with ChiChi and Gohan, Piccolo found himself wondering about ChiChi. She always had such a
strange power over Goku when he was alive. Gohan also seemed to be a 'victim' of it, and Piccolo found that he was starting to feel
it's force as well. It tugged at his heart constantly, but whenever it became strong, he would brush it aside.

A breeze blew in through the window, ruffling ChiChi's bangs and the papers on Gohan's desk. ChiChi bent over to shut the window,
the motion bringing her face a scant inch from Piccolo's. When she realized this, she froze and looked down at him silently as if his
eyes were the most captivating thing in the world. Each time Piccolo exhaled, ChiChi could feel his moist breath against her chin, just
like Piccolo could feel her warm breath on his cheek.

ChiChi's breathing seemed to speed up for a few seconds as the shock of the closeness wore off. Without knowing or fighting what
was coming over her, she lowered her face further and pressed her lips to his. Piccolo was so surprised by the warmth of her soft lips
on his that he tried to pull his head back, but the pillow prevented that. ChiChi sensed his motion and pulled away slightly, only to
have him lean up and capture her mouth with his.

The kiss grew suddenly passionate, seeming to last for several eternity's before ChiChi broke the kiss and breathlessly sat up with a
blush forming on her cheeks. Piccolo stared breathlessly at her in a mix of shock and pensiveness, as if unsure what his strange
feelings were supposed to mean.

"I'm home!" Gohan called, slamming the door and breaking the spell. He dashed into the room with a paper bag in hand, and tore it
open in his haste to get to the pills. When the bottle was freed, Gohan tore off the lid, dumped two pills into his hand and handed
them over to Piccolo. "Here, take these."

"Gohan, he can't even move right now." ChiChi whispered. Rather than putting the pills in Piccolo's mouth, she guided his hand up
and helped him do it himself. That way, he couldn't accuse anyone of 'mothering' him later. "Sit with him for awhile. I need to get the
dishes done." She didn't give Gohan a chance to reply, she hurried out of the room and into the kitchen so she could turn on the
water. Steam rose from the sink as she shoved dirty dishes in and started to wash them, letting the clanking noises drown out her
sobs.

Why did I kiss him? How can I be falling for him when I still love Goku? Is it wrong to have these feelings for more than one person?
Why is this happening!? Her mind was spinning a mile a minute, almost faster than she could follow. The main question she kept
asking herself was, Should I let this continue?

In the meantime, Gohan pulled the covers up over Piccolo to make him a little more comfortable. The pills were taking full effect, and
the Namek was more than a little drowsy; the side effect he really hated.

"Gohan…" Piccolo whispered, after Gohan had thought he was sound asleep.

He turned, "Yeah?"

"I'm thinking of having a son…Gohan…" Piccolo's voice started to fade as sleep began to win him over, "…at least some part of me will
still be alive after…"

Gohan moved to Piccolo's bedside and put his elbows down on the mattress, "I'm not stopping you, Piccolo. But I want you to know
that I'll take care of your son when…well…" He swallowed the hot lump in his throat. It still hurt to think of what was happening to his
friend. "Are you sure he won't be born with your illness?"

Nodding slowly to answer the question, he turned his back to Gohan as he rolled onto his side to sleep for awhile. Just before he did
so, he allowed a small opening in the back of his throat to release a sticky substance which he quickly swallowed. Knowing his
regeneration system was going to be hard at work to divide the cells in a matter of hours, Piccolo was confident that he would be
regurgitating an egg by the next morning.

Just before falling asleep, Piccolo caught a glimpse of the calendar. A smirk crept across his lips when he realized the next day was
going to be the ninth of May. It was sort of a special day, but only Goku and a few others knew why.
 

A million stars light
This beautiful night
This is not a night to die
Let me sing and dance
Beneath the sky

Gohan awoke early the next morning and yawned, looking over at Piccolo. He did a double take, then blinked and sat up to confirm
what he saw. Piccolo's entire throat was swollen as if he had swallowed a football. He was breathing through an open mouth, but
sound asleep.

I have such love to give...to give
I want a chance to live

"Piccolo?" Gohan climbed out of bed and reached over to shake his teacher, "Piccolo!"

Live
For the one I love
Love
As no one has loved
Give
Asking nothing in return

Piccolo's eyes popped open to glare at Gohan, "What?" He whispered hoarsely. The Saiyajin-human hybrid gestured to his own
throat, and Piccolo reached up to feel the bulge that had grown beneath his green skin. He smiled his rare, lopsided smile and said,
"It's OK Gohan…It's my son."

Free free to find my way
Free to have my say
Free to see the day

"Cool! How old is it going to be when it hatches? I mean…some of the hatchlings I saw on New Nameksei looked like they were a year
old or more when they hatched…" Gohan sweatdropped.

Be like I used to be
Like wild but free
For the life in me

"This one is going to start from scratch, Gohan." Piccolo turned his head and leveled his dark eyes with his student's. "I want him to
have every thing I never had. A childhood, people that love him…" He trailed off.

Gohan lowered his eyes slightly, "When will the egg hatch?"

Live
For the one I love
Love
As no one has loved
Give
Asking nothing in return

"Almost as soon as I cough it up, which is right about now." Piccolo slowly got up out of bed and struggled to his feet, then quietly
walked out of the room. "Gohan…this isn't going to be a pretty sight, and it's going to be over with very quickly. So do yourself a
favor…let me do this alone."

Gohan nodded slowly and waited for Piccolo to leave the house before grabbing his cam-corder. He followed the Namek into a
clearing in the woods, remaining hidden with his power low.

This world tears us apart
We're still together in my heart

Unaware he was being followed, Piccolo sought the comfort of the cool morning air as he assumed the lotus position beneath a large
tree. He seemed to begin meditating with his eyes still wide open, staring blankly towards the sky as the egg forced it's way up into
the back of his throat. The Namek's mouth filled with a sour, slippery substance, which he quickly swallowed again to lubricate the
path for the egg. He retched and gagged for several moments, still unaware of Gohan's presence as he doubled forward, clutching his
throat in pain.

I want the world to hear my cry
Even if I have to die

Gohan cringed in the shadows, but remained silent. He watched as Piccolo's jaw suddenly unhinged like a snake swallowing prey. His
white fangs gleamed in the light of the rising sun, and a yellowish shape glistened in his throat. A few seconds later, he bent forward
and allowed the egg to drop out, followed by stomach-fulls of yellow slime. He spent the next few moments panting hungrily for air,
then straightened to sit up and snapped his jaw back into it's hinges.

Love will not die
Love will change the world

As Gohan watched through his camcorder, the egg seemed to change color a little as it dried. The moment the egg was dry, several
spider-web like cracks opened along it's mottled white surface, making a sound much like a crackling campfire. Images of the
hatching egg were reflected in Piccolo's glistening black eyes as he watched and listened to his son's birth.

Finally, the eggshell fell away to reveal a tiny, helpless newborn Namekian child that was a mirror image of his father. The baby
Namek's eyes were plastered shut, his little antennae were flat against his forehead, his entire body was covered in egg-goo, and he
was crying the way a human newborn cries.

Live
For the one I love
Love
As no one has loved
Give
Asking nothing in return

Using delicate care unseen by anyone until now, Piccolo reached down, took the newborn into his arms and held him until his cries
had faded. One pass of his hand freed the child's antennae, and another wiped the goo from his eyes so he could see. The baby's
almost impossibly large black eyes popped open, and in that moment, the father and son locked eyes for the first time. When that
happened, they both began to imprint on each other. It was love at first sight.

Piccolo stared down at the life he had created, so helpless, so precious and so small. He curiously lowered his large index finger to
touch one of the child's tiny hands, which were so small that his fingertip covered the palm completely, and watched the wrinkled
fingers open to accept his touch. When Piccolo felt his son's miniature fingers wrap around his full-sized one, he seemed to reach an
emotional climax; his lower lip started to quiver and a few tears spilled out onto his face. This feeling…this joy…was so new to him, so
foreign.

I'll love until love wears me away
I'll die and I know my love will stay

"My son…" He whispered, then supported his son's head with one hand and his body with the other as he leaned down, closed his
eyes and pressed his lips to his forehead. "Doramu…my son…"

And I know, I know my love will stay…
- Live, by Celine Dion

Still unseen, Gohan took that moment to sneak back to the house and hide the cam-corder. Piccolo wouldn’t have cared if he had
seen Gohan; he was still too captivated by his new son to think of anything else.

And so began the life of Doramu.
 
 

"You mean he coughed up an egg just like that?!" ChiChi snapped her fingers to emphasize her point.

"Apparently so," Gohan replied, keeping the pretense of not actually seeing the egg being 'laid'. "I think Piccolo will make a great
father, mom." He started to pace around, hoping Piccolo was OK.

"AAH! Gohan! Get into your room and study! You've wasted enough time already with your wandering around!" ChiChi suddenly cried
when she remembered her son's precious homework. Sometimes, she really became annoyed with the way Gohan liked to put off his
education so much. For one, she didn't want him to be mentally like his father.

Gohan's eyes became dinner-plates for a moment, "Yes, mom." He put a hand on the back of his head, made a face and headed into
his room to study. Not long after Gohan had gone into his room, ChiChi heard the door open and looked up to see Piccolo walking in
with a blanket-clad Doramu in his arms. Doramu was so small he looked like a doll in his father's arms. He also looked so angelic
with his tiny, wrinkled hands resting on his cheeks as he slept.

"Hello, Piccolo." ChiChi spoke softly to avoid waking the baby as she stood and walked closer to get a better look. Piccolo didn't
speak, but he nodded to her and pulled the blanket further away from Doramu's face so ChiChi could see him better. The baby
shifted and yawned to reveal a toothless mouth. ChiChi smiled, looked up and asked, "May I hold him?"

Piccolo hesitated for a moment, then sighed and nodded, allowing her to take Doramu. "His name is Doramu." ChiChi smiled down at
the child with heavily-lidded eyes, rocking him gently back and forth. Doramu awoke at the movement and looked curiously up at
ChiChi with his huge dark eyes, almost like he was wondering what she wasn't the same color as his daddy.

"Hi there, Doramu. Awww…you're so precious…you look just like your daddy." She grinned and continued rocking Doramu as he
yawned.

Piccolo watched her, the way she was glowing so happily. He suddenly had the urge to reach over and touch her face, but he resisted
it and resolved himself to just watching as she cooed down at his son. It was like she was a new mother all over again.

Finally lifting her head again, ChiChi handed Doramu back to his father and whispered, "He's beautiful…"

"Thanks." Piccolo replied, taking the baby carefully into his arms. He headed slowly into the living room and seated himself in the
lotus position on the floor, staring down at his child like he was the most fascinating thing in the world. ChiChi watched him for a
moment, the way he ever-so-gently cupped the back of the baby's head in his palm as he held him.

Memories of the kiss that happened the day before came to her mind, and she closed her eyes with a sigh. Could she really allow
herself to love another the way she loved Goku? Was it right or wrong to do so?

ChiChi's thoughts were interrupted by Piccolo's scratchy voice, "I need something to pour small amounts of fluid and a glass of water
for Doramu. Maybe a spoon or something…anything that won't make him choke."

She cleared her throat, shook her head to clear her mind and grabbed what Piccolo had asked for, substituting the spoon with a large
eyedropper. Her hand brushed against his as she handed him the glass with the eyedropper bobbing on the surface of the water.
"Here."

Piccolo took the glass and looked quizzically at the eyedropper. His eyeridges drew together and his eyes rose to meet ChiChi's with
a silent question. She chuckled and showed him how it worked, "You just squeeze this end while it's in the water, then release and let
it fill…" The water dripped slightly as she moved the now-full eyedropper above the level of the water, "When you want to release it,
you just squeeze the end again like so." She demonstrated emptying the little tool, then handed it to Piccolo.

The Namek shrugged, put the glass down and filled the eyedropper the way he had been shown. Then he carefully inserted the tip
just past the barrier of Doramu's tiny lips and squeezed the bulb at the end. Doramu started to suckle on the tip of the eyedropper,
swallowing the water as it was fed to him.

ChiChi watched Piccolo and Doramu together, completely amazed by this gentleness Piccolo was displaying. He still acted and looked
pretty apathetic, but the simple way he carefully made sure the child didn't choke, and the gentle way he held him all showed the
love he had for the young one. In watching him, she felt her feelings rise again, like a swelling in her heart. Each time it came
around, it became harder and harder to ignore.

Doramu stopped swallowing when he'd had enough, and Piccolo put the eyedropper aside so he could cradle the baby close to his
chest once again. "Sleep now, Doramu. I will keep you safe." He said with no emotion while gazing down at the small green visage
that mirrored his own.

The phone rang, so the momentary spell ChiChi had fallen under was broken as she rushed to pick it up. "Moshi-moshi?"

"Hi, ChiChi? This is Bulma. Is Piccolo there?"

"Yes, why?" She answered.

"Tell him that help is needed at the Capsule Corporation. Bring yourself and Gohan too…don't tell him this, but we're really throwing
him a surprise party…just like we do every year." Bulma's tone was mischievous, though slightly muffled by the phone. "Only this
time, the plan is to make some memories."

ChiChi chuckled softly and whispered, "You know he's going to hate it."

"Exactly. See ya there, I gotta go!"

"Bye." She hung up, then looked into the living room. "Something happened at the Capsule Corporation, Piccolo. Bulma called to ask
for help. Do you mind going down there with us?"

Piccolo sighed and rolled his eyes, gracefully uncurling into a standing position with Doramu cradled in the crook of his arm. His cape
rustled in agitation from the movement, then settled, "I guess."

"Great. Sit tight while I get Gohan." ChiChi disappeared into the back room and carefully whispered the plan to Gohan. Both tried
hard not to smile as they headed back out to the tall Namek and his son.

"Hey, Piccolo? Mind if I hold the kid for awhile?" Gohan asked, holding his arms out hopefully. He grinned when Piccolo wordlessly
placed Doramu into his arms. "Wow! He looks just like you! Gootchie goo!"

So much for his little nap… Piccolo thought as he followed Gohan and ChiChi out of the house. He had to carry ChiChi when they flew
away, but for whatever reason, he didn't really mind it.
 
 

"They're coming!" Tien shouted from the window as he sensed two approaching powers. There was another small power, like a spark
near flames, but he couldn't put his finger on what could be causing it, and there wasn't time. The others that were present,
consisting of Bulma, Mr. and Mrs. Briefs, Krillin, Yamcha, Trunks and Vegeta, all proceeded to find a hiding place. All except for
Vegeta anyway; he was to be the diversion for the surprise.

Huffing in annoyance, Vegeta proceeded out into the front yard. He stood there with his legs planted firmly and his arms crossed, a
cocky smirk pulling at his lips. The Saiyajin Prince could care less about the stupid party, but he would willingly take any opportunity
to piss Piccolo off. He figured that it pissing Goku off didn't work, he'd go after the Namek.

Piccolo's pointed nose wrinkled when he saw Vegeta standing out in the front yard. Oh great, what does he want?

"So, the green freak cometh…" Vegeta spat.

"What do you want, Vegeta?" Piccolo asked apathetically while letting ChiChi hop down from his arms, which he crossed as soon as
he possibly could. The simple act of flying left him out of breath, so his chest was heaving for several seconds as he stared the
smaller man down with black eyes.

Piccolo's shortness of breath did not escape Vegeta's keen eyes. "So it's true…feh. Bulma has some…" He sneered as he nearly blew
the whole surprise, "…foolish training equipment she insists on bothering me to show you, so follow me."

Behind Piccolo's back, Gohan and ChiChi looked at each other, trying not to laugh.

Sighing, Piccolo replied, "Whatever. Let's just get this over with…" After speaking, he followed Vegeta towards the building. They were
almost there when Vegeta suddenly phased behind Piccolo, shoved him in and snickered. The Namek regained his footing and
growled, "What the He - "

"SURPRISE!!!!"

Piccolo turned again at the shout, then promptly fell over backwards with his feet in the air while balloons and confetti rained down on
him. He caught a glimpse of Krillin with a cam-corder as he fell.

Every year! Every single freaking year, this happened! And every year, he hated it. As if putting an exclamation point on the end of
it, every one but Vegeta started to sing, "Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday to you! Happy Birthday dear Piccolo! Happy
Birthday to you!"

"Yeah, yeah! Geez, don't you people have anything better to do?" Piccolo moaned as he stood up, covered in confetti and with a large
sweatdrop on his temple. This was humiliating!

"Of course! It's your birthday. C'mon…" Krillin laughed softly, "And…what's with the little one?" He turned the camcorder towards
Doramu, who was squirming in Gohan's arms as he tried to locate his father. It didn't take long for the tiny Namekian baby to start
crying the typical soft cries of a newborn.

"He is my son. Doramu." Piccolo stated simply as he took the small infant from Gohan and held him. As soon as he heard and saw his
father, Doramu quieted down. Piccolo then glanced up at the camcorder and sneered, "Would you mind getting that thing out of my
face, Krillin? Or do I have to blow it up like the rest?"

Krillin's pupils turned to pinpoints as he quickly lowered the camcorder and turned it off for awhile. "Sorry. Hey, why not show the
little guy off? Here, if you don't wanna do it, I will. You can trust me."

Piccolo bore his teeth and squeezed his eyes shut as he tried to control his rage and annoyance. Then he sighed in resignation for the
time being, "Fine, but if he gets hurt, then so will you. Got it?" He said as he carefully handed his precious child to the short man.

"Eh…don't worry about a thing, Piccolo. Doramu will be just fine with me." Krillin put his camcorder down on the mantle, then carried
Doramu into the room where Bulma, Mr. and Mrs. Briefs and Yamcha were hanging out.

"You had better hope so." Piccolo muttered, then reached into his belt and popped a pain pill into his mouth when he thought nobody
was looking. He had finally discovered that taking the prescription at the times specified did actually work, though it left less warning
for when a major pang was coming. But at least his entire body wasn't encased in a constant dull ache anymore.

"Now you've resorted to popping pills eh?" Vegeta snickered from the shadows, where he'd been standing like a fixture for the past
several minutes. He still found it to be a serious wake-up call to his own mortality, the knowledge that a force like Piccolo could
succumb to something as simple as a sickness.

Piccolo curled his lip upon realizing he'd been discovered, and turned his hooded eyes to look at the arrogant Saiyajin, "Stay out of
my business, Vegeta."

Laughter bubbled up from the room where Krillin had taken Doramu. Yamcha's voice could be heard saying, "Hey Trunks, I think he
has a thing for your hair. He hasn't stopped staring at it since you came in!" There was more laughter.

"What are you going to do if I don't?" Vegeta smirked, "I guess you can't stand to have people seeing you weak…"

Baring his teeth, Piccolo pointed his finger at Vegeta's face, "Listen…here…you…" He finally stopped talking as the pain started to take
over. Bad timing! Very bad timing…

The humor left Vegeta's face when he watched Piccolo stagger forward a few steps and place his hand on the wall to remain standing.
Thanks to the pain pills, it didn't get overwhelming, but it was still present and impossible to ignore. Vegeta watched for a few more
seconds, then walked forward, slung Piccolo's arm over his shoulder and walked him out front where nobody was hanging out. As
soon as he could, he released him and walked away with his arms crossed, keeping his back to the Namek.

He really is dying…I…I can't believe this. Vegeta thought silently while Piccolo tried to get ahold of himself. First Kakarotto, and now
the Namek! Who will be next?

"Tell me something, Namek…"

"Now what do you want?" Piccolo breathed, resting against a tree as he regained his composure. Droplets of sweat dripped off the
end of his nose and glittered in the light as they became one with the earth.

"Why did you have a child if you're not going to be around to raise it? It makes no sense!"

The Namek crossed his arms and flipped his cape over his shoulder. He leveled his eyes with Vegeta and answered coolly, "There are
many reasons, Vegeta." He started to walk back towards the house.

"Name one." Vegeta snapped, keeping his back to the Namek so he wouldn't see that the arrogant look was gone from his
expression.

Piccolo sighed, "To leave a legacy and to lessen the pain Gohan is going to feel when I pass. There, happy?" When Vegeta didn't
speak anymore, he headed inside to be closer to his child. Ever since the moment he and Doramu had made eye contact for the first
time, they had established a very close bond. A bond that allowed them to feel each others' presence when they were close enough
together.

Krillin met him halfway with a wailing Doramu in his arms. "I uh…think he missed you."

Piccolo looked at him like 'well, duh!' and gently took the baby into his arms. While he was handing the baby back to Piccolo, Krillin
dropped the remote that operated the camera. He reached down to pick it up without noticing the red light on the camcorder had
come on.

"Well, I'll let you calm him down. Be back soon." The short man waved and walked out of the room to hang out with Yamcha

Piccolo sneered after him, then sat down in the lotus position while cupping Doramu's head in the palm of one hand while his other
arm held the rest of his tiny body. He stroked the top of the baby's head with his thumb, "Hey, kid…don't cry. I’m here now…"
Doramu's cries started to fade, and he opened his huge eyes to stare up at his father with complete love and trust.

A rare smile formed across Piccolo's lips when he saw his child looking at him like that. "Someday, Doramu…" His smile faded,
"Someday soon, I'm going to be gone from you…and I'm sorry to leave you. I'm pretty sure you don't even understand a word I'm
saying right now…you're only about six hours old…but still, if you somehow remember this moment, I want you to know that I…" He
trailed off, feeling the urge to throw up and cry at the same time, but he fought them both down and finished, "…that I love you, my
son." He brought Doramu closer to his chest and held him there, "I want you to grow up a better person than I was, Doramu. Don't
isolate yourself…don't make the mistakes I did in my lifetime."

Without really being aware of it, Piccolo had started rocking ever-so-slightly, all the while looking down at the miniature version of
himself in his arms. He didn't really know why he was pouring his heart out to this child, because there was no way to be sure he
would remember it.

Doramu cooed softly and grasped the edge of his father's cape in his tiny hand. The slight rocking motion was putting him to sleep,
and it wasn't long before he was giving off quiet little sighs of contentment.

"Piccolo?" ChiChi's voice came from the doorway. She had been standing there the whole time, but kept that her own little secret as
she walked further into the room and sat down on the floor mat next to Piccolo. Seeing and hearing what had just taken place had
caused her heart to well up, and she couldn't hide it anymore.

Piccolo blinked at ChiChi's sudden presence, which no longer seemed to annoy him like it did before. "Yeah?"

She looked down at Doramu and smiled, brushing her slightly trembling hand against the crown of his tiny green head. Could she go
through with this? Yes, yes she was going to if it was the last thing she ever did!

"As you know…I loved Goku, and that hasn't changed…but…" She bit her lip, "I think I've fallen for someone else now…"

Piccolo's hairless brow-ridges drew together as confusion slowly rose in his mind, "Why are you telling me this? Shouldn't you be
telling this to the person you have feelings for?"

ChiChi reached up to brush her bangs away from her eyes and lifted her head to meet Piccolo's gaze, "I'm telling him right now.
Piccolo…ever since the day when we sorta kissed, I realized how I felt about you. I'm tired of hiding it, and I wanted to tell you while
there was still plenty of time left to be together. Thing is…it took me awhile to find the courage to say so…"

Piccolo felt that strange tug on his heart, and began to understand what it meant when he compared it to the one he felt with
Doramu. Though they weren't quite the same, they were more than just a little similar. He ducked his head and asked softly, "Are
you sure it's true emotion and not just pity?"

"Pity and love are two completely different things, Piccolo." ChiChi whispered back. She boldly reached over and used her hand to
raise his chin so she could see his dark eyes once again, brushing her thumb over his lips as she did so. There were tears in her
eyes, "I remember Gohan telling me that you didn't want to be alone when you started to get sick. I'm here now…" Her pale hand
brushed softly against his cheekbone, "…and I love you."

Taking a deep breath to control his own swell of emotions, Piccolo leveled his gaze with hers again and took her hand, "ChiChi…if we
take this road, I won't be able to go back…" His voice faltered as he hesitated for a moment to glance down at Doramu, "I…I've never
loved anyone before. I'm not sure I'll know what to do."

ChiChi put her other hand on Piccolo's face, silencing him with her steady gaze, "Then I'll teach you." Her eyes closed and she
brought her face closer to his. When he saw her coming closer, Piccolo allowed his eyes to drift shut and parted his lips to gently
accept her kiss.

Several long moments passed before the soft kiss ended and the two separated. Piccolo squeezed ChiChi's hand gently, then
released it. He had the sudden urge to tell her she was a lovely woman, but the words never made it to his throat. Instead, he
whispered, "ChiChi…when I am gone…I'd like for you and Gohan to raise Doramu." He looked down, then back up, "You raised Gohan
well, and I'd like for Doramu to have a better life than I did."

Placing her hand on the top of Doramu head, ChiChi looked deep into Piccolo's vaguely forlorn eyes and said, "I'll do it…" She smiled,
leaned over and touched her lips to his cheek. Then she got up and started to walk out.

"Hey, ChiChi?"

"Hm?"

"…thanks."

ChiChi smiled, nodded and continued out of the room to help keep the men in line. Piccolo looked down at Doramu's sleeping form,
then sighed and rolled his eyes. Ah, what the hell… He got up and headed into the room where ChiChi and the others were.

Little did he know that when Krillin had dropped the remote, he had accidentally activated the camcorder. Unknowingly, everything
Piccolo said to his son, as well as ChiChi's little confession, were caught on film forever.
 
 

Piccolo stared down at the brightly colored parcel in his hands. There were ribbons and bows in garish colors all over it, making him
want to disintegrate it before the colors disintegrated his eyeballs. He resisted that urge since everyone was watching, and irritably
tore the paper off to reveal a medicine case. One eyeridge went up.

"It's to keep track of your meds, Piccolo. My dad made it." Bulma smiled, hoping that Piccolo wasn't planning to blast it.

"Eh…thanks, I guess." Piccolo surprised everyone by putting the gift aside, only to have another one handed to him.

"That one's from me, sweetie!" Mrs. Briefs tittered from her spot on the couch, "Go on, open it up."

Piccolo was almost afraid to see what she'd given him. His 'fear' was confirmed when he unwrapped a black thong. A sweatdrop
appeared on his temple, and Yamcha got a great snapshot of the look on the Namek's face while he was holding the garment.
Everyone laughed, except for Piccolo. Even Vegeta.

"Ahem…" The Namek dropped the thong and picked up a small, plainly wrapped gift. There was no label to tell who it was from, so he
shrugged and opened it to find a scrapbook with pictures of himself that had been taken in tournaments so many years ago. The last
page was blank so pictures from the upcoming tournament could be put in. Assuming he'd live that long, anyway.

Piccolo glanced around for any clues as to who'd given him this gift when he noticed Vegeta avoiding his gaze. Smirking a little, the
Namek shook his head and put the book down to explore later. He picked up the gift from Tien and Yamcha, looked at it for a
moment, then tore it open. Inside was a black baseball cap with the Grinch printed on the front; an inside joke that had Tien and
Yamcha laughing.

"Try it on." Yamcha said, leaning over Krillin's head to grab some excess wrapping paper and throw it out. He personally knew Piccolo
would never wear the hat, but the look on his face as he opened it was priceless!

Piccolo curled his lip, but complied for the moment by sweeping his turban off and putting the hat on backwards. "There, happy?" He
kept the hat on long enough to have his picture taken and satisfy everyone, then took it off and replaced his turban. He reached over
for Doramu, who was dozing on the couch next to him, and picked him up.

"Hey, turn this way and face him this way too, Piccolo. Let's get a picture of you two together." Tien spoke as he snatched the camera
from Yamcha. "C'mon! One good pose…"

The green man rolled his dark eyes and looked down at Doramu. He cupped Doramu's head in one hand, held his body in the other,
then closed his eyes and pressed his lips to the child's forehead. Tien snapped the precious picture just in time to have the moment
captured forever.

This is humiliating! Piccolo thought, looking up with a sneer when Yamcha jumped onto the couch beside him, flashed a peace sign
and had another photo taken. He really started to look annoyed when everyone surrounded him to have a group shot taken, though
Vegeta really had to be goaded to join in. The picture would come out to show several smiling faces with two scowls mixed in.

Piccolo got out of there as fast as he could, because the noise wasn’t bothering him, it was bothering Doramu as well.

In the meantime, Trunks walked into the room and noticed the camcorder was on. "Now how did that happen? Hm…" He turned it off,
picked it up and re-wound the tape so he could watch what it had filmed while unattended. What he saw made him run into the room
where Tien, Yamcha, Bulma and Gohan were sitting around, jam the tape into the VCR and turn it on so he could listen as well as
watch.

"Are you OK, Trunks?" Tien asked, looking at the purple-haired youth with his third eye.

"Yeah…but check this out." Trunks pointed to the screen where Piccolo was talking to Doramu.

Gohan, Yamcha and Tien all went quiet and watched the screen in shock. Gohan almost fell over when he saw his mother kissing
Piccolo. It was a good surprise, but a surprise none-the-less. It brought tears to his eyes and made a lump in his throat. He sniffled,
and Yamcha reached over to pat his back, "Hey…it's OK Gohan. This is a good memory to keep."

"That is soooo sweet!" Bulma tittered, blushing a little. "Let's save this tape and start a new one…just in case he blows up the
camera."

"Good idea." Yamcha commented, popping open another can of soda.

"Guys! Get that cam-corder ready! We're gonna get Piccolo real good this time! Be ready to run afterwards!" Krillin called from the
living room.

Everyone looked at each other and grinned, then started pushing for the door. They all met in the yard where Piccolo was meditating;
Doramu was in ChiChi's care at the moment so he could spend some time alone. He knew the others were there, was annoyed by
their presence, but chose to ignore them.

ChiChi, safe inside, worked the camcorder to watch the sneak attack that was about to happen.

Piccolo remained as he was, the others stood up from their hiding place and Yamcha yelled, "NOW!!!!"

"Oh - " The Namek never got to finish his sentence as a handful of water balloons slammed into him. Now soaked, Piccolo snarled,
swore and made several death threats while the others ran for their lives to signal the party was officially over.

It's a good thing birthdays only come once a year… Piccolo thought angrily as shook more water off his skin and clothes.
 
 

A few months after that day, ChiChi was washing the dishes when she happened to look up and see Piccolo standing outside. The
wind was playing on his cape, causing it to swish and swirl like a flag. He seemed so calm and collected, almost like he was
meditating while wide awake and standing up. In the crook of his arm, Doramu was dozing peacefully.

Doramu had grown a little in the past few months, and could now hold his own head up without help. He wasn't quite old enough to sit
up and crawl yet, but he was getting there.

The sickness was really visible on Piccolo's features and body. To ChiChi, he almost looked the way he did when he had first
appeared to challenge Goku so long ago, only there seemed to be faint circles under his eyes. Despite that, he didn't look thin yet
because he insisted on training. Even when he was in excruciating pain.

Dishes clanked together as ChiChi put them all down into the sink to soak for awhile. She walked outside and stopped next to Piccolo,
but didn't speak. She had learned there were times when the Namek wanted quiet, and when he wanted to speak.

Piccolo finally spoke, his voice like rumbling thunder, "Do you know what today is?"

"Friday." ChiChi answered instantly.

He shook his head and smirked slightly, "That too, but it's also D-day. Death-day."

"What?" She frowned and looked up at him in confusion.

Piccolo turned to face the dark-haired woman and took a deep breath, "I was supposed to be dead by today…" His eyes gleamed a
little and he showed ChiChi a lopsided smile; it was also the first smile she'd ever seen from him.

ChiChi reached up and touched his face gently, feeling him give the slightest recoil before accepting the touch. "Oh, Piccolo…" Tears
welled up in her eyes as she leaned up to kiss him softly. The wind made the trees rustle as the two shared a kiss in the morning
light, and a swirl of pollen surrounded them for a few seconds, making the moment seen almost magical.

Doramu stirred in Piccolo's arms, yawning as he opened his huge eyes. One of his tiny hands grasped his father's gi top while he
shoved the fingers on his free hand into his mouth and smiled. His smile widened when he realized his movement had gotten his
father's attention.

Piccolo held Doramu up so he could get nose to nose with the baby, just watching him smile and listening to him babble. "He seems
so happy…what could make a child so happy?"

ChiChi smiled as she watched them together and said, "I think he's just happy to be alive. And you know what?" She stepped closer
again, "I think he learned it from you."

Gah…this is getting overly-sentimental. Piccolo thought silently, but smirked at ChiChi's comment. Changing the subject, he
whispered, "That tournament is in one more week…"

"Yeah, I know. There's ads for it every other commercial on TV these days. And I keep getting flyers in the mail…" She rolled her
blue eyes and smiled, taking Doramu's hand when he held it out towards her. "What do you think of all this? Hm?" Her tone changed
from serious to cutesy as she babytalked at the baby Namek. Growing serious again, she said, "Well, I have to start breakfast. Do
yourself a favor and take a day off. You look like you need rest."

"Humph!" Piccolo snorted, "I'm fine, ChiChi."
 
 

WHAM!!

Piccolo landed a hard left hook on Gohan's jaw, knocking him down. "C'mon Gohan! You can do better than this! Don't be weak." He
taunted, stepping back and regaining his fighting stance. A thin trail of blood was dribbling from the corner of his mouth from a hit
he'd taken in the teeth earlier, and he could taste it on his tongue whenever he licked his lips.

Gohan rubbed his face as he sat up, "I think I need a break." He grinned stupidly like his father used to do. When the Namek glared
at him, he jumped up, tried to hip-toss him and wound up getting slammed back into the ground. The glaring eyes bore down upon
him, but he just laughed, "Almost got you that time…"

"Enough. I'm not here to play games. This tournament is important to me, Gohan. I won't have the strength to fight any more after
it's over." Piccolo stated plainly and matter-of-factly, making sure to carefully hide the sorrow it brought to admit it.

Blinking, Gohan stood up and the humor left his face. He had yet to completely accept what was happening to Piccolo, and it still
caused him great pain to be reminded of it. Piccolo meant the world to him; if he hadn't met him, he'd have never become the fighter
he was today. "Sorry…just trying to have a little fun."

"Fun?! FUN!!!?" Piccolo bore his fangs and snarled, lifting Gohan off the ground by the collar. He brought himself face to face with the
young half-Saiyajin, growling almost directly into his ear. Shaking, Gohan gulped and tried to squirm away, but Piccolo leaned over
next to his ear and whispered, "Gotcha." Then he let Gohan go and smirked at the look on his face.

Gohan rubbed the back of his neck for a moment before it sank in. He'd been had by Piccolo! Piccolo had played a nasty prank!
"Yeah…" He laughed, "You got me!"

In the house, ChiChi listened to the brief laughter while holding Doramu. She smiled and pointed to Piccolo while speaking softly to
the baby, "Yeah, that's your daddy…"

"Ahhgah." Doramu gurgled happily.

"He's gonna fight in a tournament tomorrow. Yeah, he is!" She bounced him gently on her hip the way she did when Gohan was a
baby. "I just hope he can stay in the whole tournament…he doesn't look to well today."

Giggling, Doramu clapped his hands together and watched the activities outside. A trickle of drool was running out of the corner of his
mouth and pooling on his bib, which had the words 'Spit Happens' printed on it. He wanted water, and made that point known by
sucking on his bib.

"Hey, don't eat your own drool, silly!" ChiChi laughed at his efforts and took him into the kitchen so she could feed him with the large
eye-dropper. Doramu had learned that his water came from the eye-dropper, so he always tried to reach up and squeeze it himself
whenever he could, but his hands were too small. ChiChi chuckled at his efforts and helped him squeeze the bulb.

Outside, Piccolo and Gohan had just punched each other out and were getting back up. Piccolo signaled for a break and sat down,
breathless. Sweat was pouring off his face and neck from the workout. He wasn't sure if he'd be able to finish the tournament
anymore, but he did plan on being there anyway, even if it killed him. He wanted to have one last good battle.

"Are you alright?" Gohan asked worriedly as he sat down beside his mentor.

"Would you stop worrying about me every time I decide to take a break?"

"…sorry." He touched his index fingers together guiltily while listening to the Namek pant for air.

Piccolo brushed the matter aside and looked up towards the sky with a sigh. He licked his lips and took a breath, then spoke,
"Gohan…if we end up competing against each other for some reason or another, I don't want you to hold anything back. Because I
won't be holding back, and I'm going to be ruthless in there." He turned his head to fix his intense gaze on his student and best
friend, "Do you promise to give it your all?"

Gohan looked up and brushed a few strands of his rebellious hair away from his eyes. It was getting long again and was about due
for a trim. "I promise…but I want you to promise me something too, Piccolo." He met his mentor's gaze.

"What promise is that?" Piccolo asked simply.

"Don't die…"

"Gohan…" His dark eyes brimmed with tears that never quite fell. "You know I can't promise you that…" Gohan sniffed and looked
down, only to be surprised by Piccolo reaching over to drape an arm around his shoulders. "I know it's hard…and it hurts, but you
have to let me go, Gohan. Everybody dies, some sooner than others, and you have to accept that."

"I don't want to accept it!" Gohan hissed insistently. "You deserve better than this…"

"You're probably right, but life's a bitch and then you die. Simple as that." The Namek muttered cynically with a vague laugh. "C'mon,
let's get this pity party over with and get back to training…"
 
 

Tien flexed his arm as he tightened his wristbands. Yamcha slowly tied the belt of his gi into place. Krillin put his foot on the bench
and went about tying the ties on his boot. None of them said a word until the door opened to reveal Piccolo and Gohan.

"Wow…he's still alive?" Yamcha whispered.

"He's tough." Krillin whispered back, "Believe me…"

"Yeah, I know." Yamcha said back as he brushed his hair and put it into a ponytail so he wouldn't be hindered by it later.

"Hello Piccolo, Gohan." Tien stepped forward to greet them. "How are you doing?"

Piccolo's only reply was a scowl as he walked to a secluded spot and sat down to meditate, making last-minute mental preparations
for the upcoming tournament. Gohan just waved and grinned excitedly, "I'm doing great! Can't wait to get out there and show off my
moves."

Krillin just laughed, then looked to the door at the tall blue-eyed man with the stubble-covered double chin, crazy mustache and curly
black hair that had just walked in. "Oh great…look what just walked in."

"You're all going down, punks!" Mr. Satan taunted, then barked a laugh as he walked to another part of the locker room to get ready.
"Cell may have beaten me, but he used cheap tricks! So HA!"

"Get a life." Yamcha muttered.

Piccolo gritted his teeth as the loud noise of Mr. Satan's laughter grated on his nerves. He took a dose of pain medicine, then rubbed
his temples and tried to tune out the annoying racket. It didn't work; an intense pang soon overtook him, causing him to double
forward and growl.

Tien noticed Piccolo's discomfort and moved to his side, "Are you OK, Piccolo?"

"Just…gimme…a sec…" He breathed while keeping his face hidden. The others noticed Tien standing with Piccolo and headed over to
see what the problem was, but Piccolo stood up and growled at them all. "Will you STOP freaking out whenever I feel a stupid pain!?!
It's getting old!"

Sweatdrops appeared on everyone's heads.

"Sorry…" Tien mumbled, then walked out to the main arena where the tournament was going to take place. He could see ChiChi,
Doramu, Trunks, Bulma and Vegeta in the stands. The woman behind Vegeta was trying to look over his tall hair, and looked about
ready to smack him with her purse or whatever.

Yamcha, the next one to be yelled at for trying to help, joined Tien a few seconds later, followed by Krillin. Gohan and Piccolo came
out together a few minutes later with Mr. Satan and a tall man with a braid and mechanical goggles for eyes.

"Get out of my way." Mr. Satan pushed past the man with the braid.

Gohan blinked, "General Tao is here too? Golly…I wonder who else will show up…"

Piccolo was too busy tuning everything else out to even care about the conversation. He was in so much pain he wanted to throw up,
but he also refused to miss the tournament. So he remained silent and still while the others chattered excitedly, waiting for the
tournament to begin. Sounds echoed in his ears, camera flashes blinded him, but he ignored it all.

The announcer said something over the microphone, but Piccolo didn't even hear that. He did manage to stand up and nod when the
name 'Ma Jr.' was called, but other than that he tried to move as little as possible.

Krillin was the first one to fight, and he beat Mr. Satan with ease by kicking him out of the ring. When Mr. Satan tried to sneak back in
to continue the fight, he got disqualified from further competition, and the whole audience laughed at his pathetic temper tantrum. All
the while, Krillin stood there like 'oh please'.

General Tao ran the moment he saw Gohan in the same ring as him. That made Gohan the winner of that match.

"Humph. Even Cell was more entertaining than this!" Piccolo commented from the sidelines while shaking his head.

Yamcha went up against a tall, skinny ninja, beating him with no problem. Tien fought another man similar to the ninja, also winning.

Piccolo was the last one to take part in the first round, and he could barely get into the ring, but he managed, looking majestic as
ever with his white cape and shoulderpads. The little man he was going to fight took off running as soon as he saw the green man in
the ring.

Again, the annoying announcer spoke up, making the next line-up. Yamcha wound up fighting Tien, Krillin wound up fighting Gohan
and Piccolo was allowed to sit out for one match since there weren't enough people to give him a competitor. It was a good thing too,
he needed rest.

"Well, looks like we're gonna have to call this a 'spar for real', eh?" Yamcha commented as he took on his stance before Tien.

Tien rolled all three eyes, "Yes, I suppose. Give me your best." He lowered into his fighting stance while watching his opponent.

Yamcha started the match with a surprise kick that knocked Tien on his rear, but he stayed in the ring. Turning around, Tien
hip-tossed the handsome young man to the ground and elbowed him in the gut as hard as he could. Yamcha gave a yell of pain, and
his long dark hair flew as he tried to sweep Tien. Dodging the quick move, Tien spun around, jabbed Yamcha in the ribs, then
spun-kicked him to the ground. Yamcha got up, the two started a hit-and-block routine, then Yamcha was once again sent to the
ground.

Various cheers and boos went up, depending on who was rooting for who.

"C'mon Yamcha…" Tien hissed through blood-stained teeth from an uppercut he received earlier. The sweat on his brow stung his
third eye. "Give me your best."

"I’m just getting warmed up!" Yamcha jumped up and scissor-kicked Tien in the jaw, then flipped to his feet and looked around. He
couldn't find Tien anywhere, and cursed to himself. "Where - "

Two Tiens grabbed Yamcha and tossed him out of the ring, only to both be grabbed by the belt and dragged out too. The match was
declared a tie, so both would continue on.

"Good match, Yamcha." Krillin said, hoping to cheer him up a little.

Yamcha coughed, "Thanks…hey Tien, I thought you said you weren't gonna do that here. Never trust bald men…" He grinned.

Krillin and Tien sweatdropped. Piccolo just growled at the 'foolishness'.

Gohan hopped up into the ring and waved to Piccolo, then went to his position. Krillin joined him in the ring, going immediately into
his stance.

This will be no problem for Gohan… Piccolo thought with pride as he watched Gohan start the fight with a small Kamehameha that
Krillin dodged. Gohan tried again, this time making sure to aim a little further ahead of the short bald guy as he tried to dodge. Krillin
blocked it, then made a mad dash for the Saiyajin hybrid. Gohan jumped aside, and the audience gasped as Krillin teetered
precariously on the edge of the ring for a few seconds before backflipping back inside.

"Whew!"

"YAAAAH!!" Gohan flew straight for Krillin, but missed at the last second. He turned around with a sharp kick that connected with the
back of Krillin's head, creating a sickening thud. Down the short man went, and Gohan nearly freaked out. "Krillin! Are you OK?"

Krillin jumped up suddenly and kicked Gohan hard in the gut, knocking him onto his back. ChiChi was shouting something in the
audience as Gohan jumped up to begin a very intense hit-and-block routine with Krillin. The force of Gohan's punches was shoving
Krillin towards the edge of the ring, He tried to fight back, but a final kick below the belt brought him to his knees and forced him to
signal that he couldn't continue.

"Whoa! Hey Krillin! How's the jewels?" Yamcha asked as Krillin limped out of the ring, still doubled over.

"Don't…ask…" He answered in a voice about two octaves higher, and Gohan shrugged apologetically while in the ring.

"We are next, Piccolo." Tien announced after reading the roster at the edge of the arena. "Are you sure you are OK to compete."

Piccolo wanted to say no, that he just wanted to lay down and die right there, but he wanted to finish this tournament. Without
speaking, he nodded and flipped his cape back as he headed up into the ring. He unintentionally made a small show of removing his
cape and turban while Tien climbed into the ring and stood in front of him.

"Good luck."

Piccolo nodded, "You too." Then he eased himself into his stance and let Tien make the first move.

Tien started the match with an uppercut, but Piccolo caught his arm and twisted it, tossing him aside. Not ready to be beaten yet, Tien
gave a shout and dove straight up, aiming to bring his fist down on Piccolo's head. The Namek dodged easily, grabbing the arm again
and flinging the triclops aside.

"Pathetic…"

"Pathetic? I'll show you pathetic!" Tien got up and started a rapid hit-and-block routine, which Piccolo was easily keeping up with.

A blast of pain shot across Piccolo's consciousness as he fought to keep Tien's punches from hitting him in the mouth. He lost all
sense of what he was doing and seemed to become the monster he was before he met Gohan. The rest of the match was all a haze
that made no sense, and when Piccolo managed to rise above the veil of pain, Tien was K.O.ed on the floor of the ring with bruises all
over his body.

Saying nothing, Piccolo slowly walked out of the ring and sat down alone to catch his breath. Nobody in the audience made a sound
for the longest time as Tien was rushed out on a stretcher. He was alright, just unconscious, but the paramedics wanted to check him
out anyway. If they had known Piccolo's condition, they would have taken him right out of the tournament.

Gohan sat worriedly next to Piccolo, but didn't dare ask if he was alright for fear of getting a fierce retort. Instead, he just handed
him a towel to wipe the sweat off with.

"Piccolo? You need anything?"

"No, I'll be fine in a minute, Gohan…just let me rest." He answered softly, taking the towel and using it to wipe the copious amounts of
sweat from his face and neck. Leaving the towel around his neck, Piccolo lowered his head to meditate the pain away as much as
possible. He never saw the match between Gohan and Yamcha, but he could hear the crowd cheering a lot.

"Piccolo, wake up. Hey! You're up against Gohan." Krillin patted Piccolo on the back, "C'mon, someone's gonna suspect pretty soon."

Piccolo uncurled into a standing position and scowled at Krillin, then tossed aside the towel and walked slowly into the ring. This is
it…my last fight. He thought as he approached the center of the ring.

Gohan watched Piccolo approach in silence. He looked like he was going to keel over at any second, and his eyes had no energy left
in them. They lacked their fire, but still had their luster.

"Gohan…" Piccolo extended his hand and placed it carefully onto Gohan's shoulder, "I want you to give me your absolute best. Hold
nothing back." He smiled ever-so-slightly, "Good luck, kid."

"Don't hold back either, Piccolo. And good luck to you too." Gohan smiled back as the hand withdrew from his shoulder. He quickly
backed up and took on his fighting stance. Piccolo did the same, and they both locked eyes as the match officially began.

Abiding by Piccolo's wishes, Gohan emitted a shrill cry and charged the Namek full force. Piccolo side-stepped the attempt and turned
around to catch the young man with a backfist. With his nose smarting from the hit, Gohan uppercutted his mentor in the jaw, then
started a hit-and-block routine that went all over the ring.

Piccolo could taste blood on his tongue, and his arms were horribly bruised from the repeated blows. He was fighting just to stay
conscious, the pain growing almost overwhelming. Gohan just kept coming and coming, just like he'd been taught.

"Gohan! You're holding back!" Piccolo shouted as he punched Gohan in the face and knocked him to the ring floor.

Gohan got right back up, spun around and flip-kicked Piccolo square in the ribs, "Not anymore…"

"Better…" The Namek grinned with blood trickling from the corner of his mouth, and charged at Gohan again. The kick he attempted
to make missed, and he felt his leg being wrenched out from under him. He looked up just in time to see Gohan coming at him, and
rolled out of the way. The young man's fist put a dent in the ring floor on impact, and Piccolo was pretty glad the attack missed.

Up in the audience, ChiChi watched the match nervously while bouncing Doramu on her knee. She didn't want Gohan to get hurt, but
at the same time, she was worried about Piccolo's health.

"Be careful you two…" She whispered.

"Baka!" Vegeta yelled towards the ring when one of the combatants blundered a move and got knocked down. He wouldn't show it,
but he was enjoying the show.

"I'm sure everything is under control down there." Bulma chided, then cupped her hands by her mouth and cheered the two on.

Down in the ring, a thud rang out as Piccolo's body impacted the ground. He was very slow to get up, but when he got to his feet, he
kicked Gohan in the stomach to knock him back. They charged at each other with the wind in their clothes and wound up punching
each other at the same time. Piccolo and Gohan both wound up on the ground after that, and neither moved for several heartbeats.

Then, suddenly, they both kicked to their feet at the same time and started the hit-and-block routine all over again. The match went
on for ten more minutes before they punched each other out again. This time, however, they both landed outside the ring when they
fell.

The match ended in a draw, and the audience was going nuts with cheers or boos.

Several minutes later, Piccolo and Gohan were both receiving a trophy, since they both "won". They had to stand there and hold the
trophies while a whole bunch of announcements were made. There were re-plays of the more colorful moments in the matches, and
the runners-up were receiving their awards.

Piccolo stared straight ahead the whole time, his head hurting with every sound and his eyes growing more blurry with each camera
flash that went off near his face. The world seemed to be in slow motion; things left trails as they moved, sounds echoed almost
endlessly and the air felt suddenly stuffy. He could feel a pang coming on, one more intense than any he had ever felt before, and
realized he couldn't catch his breath.

Gohan was absolutely glowing, holding his trophy up with pride while a huge grin plastered itself across his face. His eyes gleamed in
the glow of flashing cameras. He turned around to smile at Piccolo, but the ecstatic expression melted from his face when he saw his
mentor.

Piccolo was swaying drunkenly on his feet, and his eyes were fluttering. The trophy he was holding slipped free of his grasp and
clanged to the floor. The entire arena became suddenly silent, all eyes on the green man. Piccolo's head jerked back as if he'd been
hit, then his body toppled forward to hit the floor with a thud that seemed to reach every corner of the arena.

"Oh my gosh! Call an ambulance!"

"Is he OK?"

"AAH!!"

Various cries went up as people rushed to surround the unconscious Namek. Before Gohan or anyone else could stop them, the
paramedics arrived and carried Piccolo away on a stretcher.

ChiChi pushed past everyone else and got to the ambulance first. Gohan arrived seconds later and looked worriedly at his mother.
ChiChi returned the worried look as Piccolo was loaded into the ambulance. Doramu started to cry angrily because of all the
commotion, and the dark-haired woman soothed him while climbing in with Gohan and the paramedics.

On the way to the hospital, Gohan explained Piccolo's condition, which really surprised the paramedics.

"If he codes, should we take any heroic measures?" One of them asked.

Gohan shook his head slowly, "No, he wouldn't want that. Just get him back on his feet and let us take him home."

"Very well."
 
 

Yamcha, Tien, Krillin and the others all met at the hospital where Piccolo had been taken. They were stuck in the waiting room while
ChiChi, Doramu and Gohan sat with the ailing Namek, who was now conscious and in a very bad mood.

"Get me out of this place…" He growled at the nurse that was trying to check his blood pressure, "Now!"

"Sir, please calm down…" The nurse begged after taking his blood pressure and writing the numbers down on her clip board.

"Piccolo, it's OK. We're getting you out of here." ChiChi whispered, handing Doramu to Piccolo. Piccolo took his screaming son into his
arms and soothed away his tears. He made it a point to hate hospitals from that moment on. especially when the nurses walked in
with a wheelchair.

"Sir, if you just sit down here, we'll wheel you out and the ambulance will take you home…"

What Piccolo did next made Gohan smile and shake his head.

Sneering, the Namek glared at the wheelchair and snarled, "I prefer to walk."

"Sir…"

"I said: I prefer to walk." Piccolo extended his hand and blasted the hell out of the wheelchair until it was reduced to rubble on the
floor with one wheel that twirled wildly on it's edge before finally becoming still. Then he proceeded to walk ever-so-slowly to the
door and out into the hall where everyone else was waiting. With a flick of his eyelids, his cape and turban appeared out of nowhere,
and he smirked when he reached the entrance. "When you can get your eyes back into their sockets, I'll see you at the Son house."
With that, he gathered what little energy he could still muster and flew away.
 
 

A few weeks went by after that day, but they seemed to run together for Piccolo. He didn't want to admit to himself that he was really
getting too weak to get up and walk around, but he forced himself to do it anyway as an excuse to exercise.

ChiChi watched him hobble through the living room like an old man with legs made of lead. Instead of his gi, he was now wearing a
pair of Goku's pajamas, which consisted of black flannel leggings with a blue stripe down the side and an unbuttoned blue flannel
shirt.

ChiChi looked away when Piccolo dropped breathlessly into a chair to rest and continued rocking Doramu, who was dozing in her
arms. "Taking a break for once?"

Piccolo panted for a few moments as he rested before turning his head to scowl a little, then his expression softened, "I dunno…" He
leaned forward and forced himself back up, putting a hand out to stop ChiChi when she got up to help. "I'm not an invalid, ChiChi. I
can get out of a chair."

Sighing in resignation, ChiChi resumed rocking Doramu while Piccolo limped back into the bedroom where Gohan was studying. He
tried to open one of his pill bottles to take his meds, but his coordination had really deteriorated. After fumbling with it for several
minutes, he growled an obscene word and threw the bottle across the room. It shattered, and pills went flying everywhere.

"WHOA!" Gohan jumped as a few pills landed in his hair. "Hey! Calm down! Yikes…Piccolo, please…you need to start asking for help!"

"No…I won't be weak!" Piccolo hissed as he grabbed a random pill off the desk and shoved it into his mouth. "I won't be weak…" he
repeated, his voice cracking slightly.

Gohan began to rescue the little blue pills that had taken flight a few seconds ago and started putting them in a pile on his desk.
"Asking for help isn't a weakness, Piccolo. People aren't strong alone." He reached over and took his Namekian friend's hand,
"They're strong together. Don't you remember all the fights we went through together? Often times…it took more than one person to
bring the evil down."

Piccolo eased himself into bed and stared up towards the ceiling while still clutching Gohan's hand. "Gohan…do you remember when
you asked me if I was afraid to die, and I told you I was afraid of dying, but not death?" When the young man nodded, he continued,
"What's happening to me now is exactly what I meant." As soon as he finished the sentence, Piccolo rolled onto his side and closed
his eyes to rest.

Sighing to himself, Gohan reached over and gently pulled the blankets up to Piccolo's shoulders. "That's why your friends are here to
take care of you. Not just your needs, but you too."

"Gohan?" Piccolo whispered.

"Yeah?

"Shut up…"

Blinking, a little hurt, Gohan got up and left the room, ignoring his pencil as it rolled off his book and clattered hollowly to the floor.
He went out into the living room where ChiChi was giving Doramu some water and sat down next to her. "Piccolo seems so angry…"

ChiChi nodded slowly in agreement and offered to let Gohan hold Doramu, and he gladly took the little baby into his arms. She
handed him the eyedropper and said, "He's just frustrated that he can't do the things he used to. I'm sure he feels like he should be
out training or something."

Doramu hiccuped and giggled as Gohan put the eyedropper down to hold him up high. "Why is he so weak all of a sudden? I
mean…he was fine until just after the tournament…" He looked down at Doramu, momentarily fixated by his huge black eyes.

Reaching over, ChiChi placed her hand on Gohan's shoulder and gently whispered, "He's starting to die, Gohan. I don't think he'll live
much more than a few weeks." She lowered her hand to his arm and squeezed it gently, "You need to start thinking about saying
goodbye to him while you still can. If you don't, you'll never forgive yourself for the rest of your life, and I know because I didn't say
it to my mother when she was dying. Even though I didn't understand what dying was back then, I didn't tell her goodbye when my
father asked me to. That is a mistake that I really regret."

"But mom…I don't want to lose him. He's the best friend I've ever had! He told me that loving someone sometimes means letting
them go…but it hurts…" A tear brimmed in his dark eye, glistened in the light and trickled down his cheek.

"I know." ChiChi brushed her knuckle down his cheek, hurting because her son was hurting, "But you have to. It won't be long before
he'll start saying his goodbyes in his own way." She looked down at Doramu, who was patting Gohan's arm and slurping on three of
his chubby little fingers, "Or maybe he already has."

They both looked up when Piccolo hobbled into the hallway with another pair of pajama bottoms held down in front of his legs. A
puddle started to form at his feet, larger than the little ones he'd left behind, and the sound of water dripping could be heard. He
scowled at them, seeming a little humiliated and said simply, "I spilled my water glass." Then he growled and went into the bathroom.

Gohan cocked a brow while ChiChi got up and walked into the bedroom. The water glass was empty, but there was much more of a
puddle next to the bed than that little glass could make. To keep the secret, she quickly cleaned up the mess on the floor by the bed
where Piccolo had probably started to have his little accident when he stood up and went into the bathroom. Then she cleaned up the
little trail in the hallway.

"Piccolo?" ChiChi knocked gently on the bathroom door while Gohan started to play with Doramu.

"What!?" Piccolo snapped, his voice muffled by the door.

"Can I come in?"

He sighed, "Go ahead…"

ChiChi pushed the door open and slipped in without opening it too far, then closed it and turned on the fan so their conversation was
pretty much impossible to hear. Piccolo had put the toilet seat down and was sitting on it while tying the draw-string on the clean
pajama bottoms he'd just donned. The bottoms he'd removed were hanging over the edge of the bathtub.

"Piccolo, I know what really happened…"

Piccolo narrowed his eyes and turned his face away from her with a small snarl. He was clearly embarrassed.

"I won't tell anyone…it's OK. These things happen." She reached over and brushed his antennae back like they were locks of
rebellious hair, "Maybe it's time to get a urinal so you don't have to get up and walk so far. You can tell Gohan to leave the room
while you 'go' if that helps."

The Namek stared at the ground and bore his teeth, because he knew she was right. "A little while ago, I sorta…broke a bottle of
pills. Gohan found the pills that went flying and they're in a pile on his desk." He admitted, then slowly pushed himself to stand.

ChiChi stood up in front of him and slipped her arms around his waist, letting her head come to rest on his still-muscular chest.
Piccolo blinked at the gesture before forcing himself to wrap his arms around her in return; he still wasn't all that accustomed to
physical contact, so the idea of it made him a little uncomfortable.

ChiChi…you are too good to me…

Piccolo…I wish I knew how to comfort you…

ChiChi tilted her head back, Piccolo lowered his face a little and they shared a brief kiss before exiting the bathroom. Doramu could
be heard crying, and Gohan was doing everything he could think of to calm the little guy, but the baby just wanted his daddy.

The Namek dropped onto the couch next to Gohan, gently took his son into his arms and murmured wordlessly to him. Gohan
watched in amazement as Doramu stopped crying almost as soon as he saw his father's face, heard his voice and felt his touch.

"How do you do that?" He asked.

"Nameks form a special bond the first time they make eye-contact with their newborn children. Kind of like imprinting, but deeper. He
and I can sense each other when we're in the same room, just like I can sense someone's power level. That's the best explanation I
can give you." Said Piccolo as he stood Doramu up by the armpits so he could bounce. "When I was born, there was nobody there for
me to imprint on…that is probably why I spent my life in such an isolated way."

Gohan blinked a little. Piccolo had just opened up a little and given a small peek into what made him who he was! Before Gohan could
ask any more questions, the Namek slowly rose with Doramu in his arms and staggered into the bedroom. He just barely had the
strength to hold the child anymore, having to make a very conscious effort not to drop him.

Once in the room, Piccolo rocked Doramu gently as he sat down on the edge of the bed. He watched the child's black eyes, eyes that
mirrored his own, glisten in the light. "My son…" The Namek whispered before settling down on the bed with the baby on his chest. He
loved to just watch the little one smile and move around, so alive and healthy. "There are so many things I wish I could be there to
see you do. To see you take your first steps…hear your first word…watch you throw your first ki blast…" Piccolo sighed as a few tears
escaped from his dark eyes, "Though I won't be there, I'll be in the blood that pumps through your veins and the power that courses
through you." He smiled lopsidedly, which caused Doramu to smile back and flash the two teeth he had in his lower jaw. "Every
breath you take is mine, Doramu. I think…" He smirked as he wondered why he would talk like this to a child and not to someone
who could respond properly. "…I think of all the achievements that I've done…you're the best one of all…"

"Ga?" Doramu's little antennae rose and fell like a comical shrug. He flashed another baby smile as he met his father's gaze and
grabbed one of his antennae like it was the most interesting thing in the world. Each time his father breathed, he would rise and fall a
little like a small boat riding swells on the sea, and the little 'ride' was making him giggle.

Piccolo smiled again at his playful son and brushed his hand across the top of his small head, "Doramu, there is something I'd like
you to do for me…" He pressed his lips to the child's head, his voice growing quieter because he was starting to fall asleep, "Live, my
son. Just live. That's what I want you to do. I'll be proud of you just for that."

Doramu gurgled softly and curled up on Piccolo's chest to take a nap. Piccolo reached over and raised the bedrails on each side of
the bed so the baby wouldn't fall off. Then he closed his eyes, curled his arms around Doramu's small body and gazed across the
room at the painting on the wall. It was the painting he had described to ChiChi that one time when his pain meds had run out.

In the painting, there was a bright orange-red star near the center that always seemed to draw Piccolo's attention. In the back of his
mind, the Namek felt a strange sort of hope, somehow knowing that he would journey to that star. He fell asleep while wrapped with
that new hope.

Not long after Piccolo had fallen asleep, Gohan came into the room to finish studying when he saw the precious moment. Piccolo was
smiling in his sleep with his arms around Doramu, who was also asleep. Doramu's head was up under his father's chin and he had
both hands pressed together as if he was praying.

Gohan's heart took a picture, freezing that moment in his memory forever.
 
 

Time passed again, but one day seemed to run into another, until they all became one fluid mass of seconds, minutes and hours.

Tiny glistening ice chips crackled together and shifted as an invading spoon was plunged among them. A pale hand lifted the spoon to
a pair of dry, slightly cracked green lips. The lips parted just enough to accept the contents of the spoon, and a pair of gleaming
fangs briefly glittered in the light before the lips closed again.

ChiChi waited for Piccolo to swallow before offering him some more ice-chips, but he turned his head and said, "No."

"No more?"

"Mmhmm."

"OK…" She put the bowl and spoon down, then reached for the chapstick. Using gentle care, she spread some of the soothing
medication onto his lips to keep them from getting too dry. While ChiChi was doing that, Piccolo grasped her free hand with his weak,
skeletal one. She squeezed back and reached for the skin lotion, "You're skin's getting dry again." She said as she squeezed a little
of the unscented white substance into the palm of his hand so he could rub it in himself.

Piccolo didn’t answer as he shakily rubbed his hands together. While he was occupied with that, ChiChi went to the foot of the bed,
pulled the sheets up and started to rub the same lotion into his feet. The reason his skin kept drying out was because he was drinking
less and less water. Ice-chips helped a little, but he was getting to weak to swallow even those.

When ChiChi finished rubbing the lotion into Piccolo's feet, she went back up to the head of the bed and placed a soft kiss on his
forehead. She adjusted the bed to sit him up in a reclining position just as someone knocked on the door. "Yes? Come on in!"

The bedroom door swung open to reveal Vegeta, who was scowling as always. ChiChi blinked a little in surprise while Piccolo turned
his head to look at his visitor with dully glistening eyes.

Vegeta blinked as he got a dose of mortality much larger than the rest. Piccolo was completely bedridden. He looked strangely small
in the bed with the blankets covering up from the waist down. His pajama top was open to reveal a ghost of the physique he once
had, and his slender hands looked more like bones with green skin stretched across them. Like listless dead plant stems, the
Namek's antennae hung limp in whichever direction they chose to fall.

Despite that, Piccolo managed to softly utter a smart-assed remark, "What do you want, Vegeta? Can't you see I'm busy?" Then his
cracked lips pulled into a smirk.

Vegeta snorted as ChiChi quietly left to let them be alone, and walked closer to the bed. "Too bad. I came to see if you were dead
yet." He answered sarcastically. "You look like shit, Namek."

"Better than what you look like." Piccolo retorted weakly, "Arrogant monkey."

"Heh. Foolish green bean." Vegeta sneered back. Then they both chuckled like it was the funniest thing in the world. The Saiyajin
prince then proceeded to do the hardest thing he could ever do: he put aside his pride. "I didn't come to trade insults with you,
Namek. I came to say goodbye."

Piccolo blinked slowly to make sure he'd heard right, and his Adam's apple bobbed as he swallowed. "What possessed you to want to
say goodbye to someone you never really had anything to do with?"

"Respect," Vegeta replied as his face lost all expression, "Several years ago, you took one of Nappa's blasts for Kakarott's brat. I
saw the look on your face when you did it, and I could see how much you cared for him…" He ducked his head, not accustomed to
speaking his feelings in such a way, "I'd never be able to do such a thing for anyone…damn Frieza…it's all his fault!" One of his hands
came to rest on the bedrail, which was raised. "And…you killed Kakarott once before. Even if he did come back, it was more than I
could have done."

Piccolo raised his trembling hand and placed it over Vegeta's. He looked him right in the eyes and said, "Believe it or not, I didn't feel
any better when I killed Goku. In fact, I felt respect for him because he chose to die for his planet. Just like I chose to die for
Gohan."

Vegeta sighed, growling under his breath as he moved his hand away from the bedrail, which was now warm where his hand had
been gripping it so tightly. "I respected Kakarott too…but…" he pointed a finger at Piccolo, "If you see him after you die, tell him I'll
still find a way to beat the hell out of him when I get there. Got it?"

"Not a problem." Piccolo smirked as Vegeta turned to the door.

Before leaving, Vegeta looked over his shoulder and snickered, "Oh, by the way…your brat is just as ugly as you. Take care."

"I guess Trunks is lucky then." Piccolo whispered back with another smirk. Vegeta just laughed coldly and walked out.

Sighing to himself, Piccolo lowered the bed a little to rest, spending about ten minutes in total silence. All of a sudden, he felt
something strange and his eyes flew open to fix on the corner of the room nearest to the door where a figure had suddenly just
appeared. The Namek blinked several times as his eyes wandered over the orange gi, the dopey smile, the wild crown of black hair
and the golden halo that hovered just above the wild locks.

"G-Goku?"

"Hi Piccolo!" Goku walked closer to the bed to stand where Vegeta had been standing. He blinked and scratched his temple, "Gosh,
Piccolo…you don't look so good…"

"Gee, what gave you the first clue?" Piccolo rumbled cynically, "So what are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be pissing off
some angels or something?"

"People don't pee in Heaven." Goku mumbled blankly, then shrugged, "Anyway, nah. But if you can see me, then that means…well…"

"What? Now?"

"No! Hehehe…no!" He put his hand on the back of his head and sweat-dropped, then frowned, "But you're getting closer."

Outside the room, Gohan was peeking in and looking very confused. He caught ChiChi as she walked by and said, "Piccolo's talking
to my dad…but there's nobody else in there with him…isn't that more than a little weird?"

"No…" She answered gently, putting her arm around Gohan's shoulders and leading him away from the room, "It means he's starting
to let go just a little. As long as the people he sees don't distress him, it should be fine." She blinked, "Oh dear, lunch will burn if I
don't go take it off the stove!"

"Go handle it, mom. I'll keep an eye on Doramu, even though he's asleep right now."

In the room, Piccolo took a deep breath and closed his eyes, "My leaving is going to tear Gohan up, and I don't know what to do…"

"He'll come around eventually. Always has and always will." Goku glanced at something invisible behind him, "Woops, I gotta go. See
you soon." In the blink of an eye, the Saiyajin had disappeared. Piccolo's mind was too foggy to comprehend how or why Goku had
appeared, and he slowly drifted off to sleep while pondering it.

He slept so deeply that he didn't wake when ChiChi came in to check on him.
 
 

Krillin, Yamcha, Tien and Bulma sat quietly next to Piccolo's bed, all of them silently watching the slow rise and fall of his chest. The
Namek was lying flat on his back with his head turned to the side and slightly back. His eyes were shut, but his mouth hung about
halfway open. It had been about two days since he had last been conscious.

"Uh…gosh…" Krillin finally spoke, "I really don't know what to say to you, Piccolo. Except that I…uh well…I really respected you, and I
hope things turn out alright for you…eh…" His voice faded as he looked towards the ground and sighed, shaking his head. "I'll see you
around…" He couldn't stand this scenery anymore, and left to go out into the living room with a tear in his eye.

Bulma simply sniffed and left the room where Krillin was. Trunks was already out there with Gohan, ChiChi and Doramu. Nobody said
a word when Bulma walked over to Trunks and buried her face in his shoulder. Tien and Yamcha came out a few minutes later with
solemn expressions.

Not wanting Piccolo to be alone, ChiChi went into the room, sat down by the bed and took his hand. She stroked his fingers like she
would pet a kitten, and leaned over to press her lips to his forehead. "Your hand is cold…" She switched from stroking his fingers to
rubbing warmth into his flaccid hand while whispering, "I love you…Piccolo…" Tears formed in ChiChi's eyes, "And I want to thank you
for coming to us in your time of need. You changed my son's life as well as mine. You're a very good, kind and loving man, even if
you don't realize it." She kissed his hand as her lower lip started to quiver, "I'll miss you…"

The hand ChiChi was holding slowly moved, the thin fingers closing around hers. ChiChi blinked, then turned her head to find Piccolo
looking at her with tears streaming down his face and his lower lip quivering. He gulped several times before he managed to whisper
in a sob, "ChiChi…please hold me…"

Never in her life had ChiChi ever see Piccolo show so much emotion, and she felt more tears rushing to her eyes as she put her arms
around the ailing green figure. He was as weak and helpless as a newborn, so she had to support his head as she pulled him into her
arms and rubbed his back while he sobbed into her chest. Every wound on his soul, every hardship and every moment when he had
repressed his emotions came out as he cried.

ChiChi just kept holding him, rocking him gently back and forth and humming softly into his ear to comfort him, even after his sobs
had fallen silent.

The silence stretched for several moments until ChiChi helped Piccolo to settle back under the covers. He looked right up into her
glistening sapphire eyes and whispered almost too quietly to be heard, "ChiChi…I love you…"

Putting a hand to her mouth for a moment, ChiChi swallowed hard, leaned down and pressed a kiss to his forehead, his cheek and
finally his lips. Their kiss seemed to last an eternity before it finally ended, and the dark-haired woman whispered softly, "I love you
too…"

Piccolo gazed up at her for several moments more before his eyes drifted almost completely shut and his hand relaxed as he slipped
back into a coma. ChiChi left the room, went into her own room and burst into tears. Gohan heard her sobbing and carried Doramu
with him as he sought to find out what was making her cry.

"Mom? What is it?" He asked while keeping Doramu's hands out of his mouth.. The baby had already made a mess of his already
messy hair.

"Piccolo…" She sniffed, "He woke up while I was there. He broke down into tears and told me to hold him…" She took Doramu from
Gohan and held him, feeling Gohan's arms wrap around her, "And he told me he loved me…"

Closing his eyes, Gohan swallowed the lump in his throat and pressed a kiss into his mother's hair, "And he meant it too, mom…"

"Gohan…"

"Yeah?"

"You have to go in there and tell him it's alright for him to go. Piccolo is suffering, Gohan, and…" More sobs caused her voice to crack,
"…I think he wants you to give him permission to die."

"No!" Gohan shook his head as his voice cracked, "No…I can't…he means too much to me…"

"This isn't about Piccolo, Gohan. This is about you. You have to tell him it's alright to pass on. He's tired and he's in pain…" ChiChi
shifted Doramu in her arms so he couldn't grab the buttons on her kimono and kissed his cheek gently, "Say goodbye to him, Gohan.
Show him how much you love him by letting him go in peace."

Gohan closed his eyes for several moments as tears dotted his eyelashes like dewdrops on a spider's web. His voice wavered as he
spoke, "He…he's tired, isn't he?" He nodded like answering his own question, the realization coming over him slowly as his tears
stopped. "I think he'd like to rest…"

ChiChi nodded slowly and cupped Gohan's face with her palm, then followed him to stand in the doorway to his room as he went to
Piccolo's bedside and sat down. He didn't speak, but he clutched one of the Namek's thin hands fiercely, noticing immediately how it
was cold like ice. Piccolo's arms and legs were all as cold as ice and taking on a dull ashen tone. Piccolo's breathing had changed,
going from very deep to suddenly shallow, then back to deep. Every once in awhile while he breathed, he would sound very
congested; that sound was very frightening whenever it came up.

Gohan remained utterly silent as he squeezed Piccolo's hand until he felt a response. He turned his head to find Piccolo looking up at
him with sleepy, tear-filled eyes. The young man was about to speak, but Piccolo spoke first. Gohan couldn't hear it, so he leaned
closer until his ear was just a scant inch from the green man's lips.

"Gi…" Piccolo whispered in a voice no louder than an exhalation.

Nodding, Gohan walked to his closet and retrieved the purple garment along with the shoes, belt, turban and cape that went with it.
He returned to the bed and started by taking Piccolo's pajama bottoms and socks off, replacing them carefully with his gi pants and
shoes. Then he moved to the head of the bed and eased his ailing friend's arms out of the black flannel shirt, trying with all his might
to ignore how thin he'd become. Gohan used gentle care to support Piccolo's head as he slid the purple gi top over the Namek's head,
pulled it down and tucked it in; he started to cry softly when he realized how tightly he had to cinch the navy blue belt in order for it
to fit. His tears continued as he carefully guided the heavy shoulderpads over Piccolo's head, lowered it into place and then lifted him
to get the cape under him properly. Their eyes locked when Gohan gently brushed Piccolo's antennae back and carefully placed his
turban onto his head.

Piccolo looked more like himself while he was dressed, even with his head pulled back against the pillow because of the weight of his
turban and the thinness of his body. His eyes followed Gohan as he touched the button on the bedrail to make the head of the bed sit
up so he could breathe easier.

From the doorway, ChiChi watched with tears in her eyes. Doramu had gone quiet and slurped on his fingers as he watched with his
head down on her shoulder.

"Piccolo…I'm here. Right here next to you." Gohan whispered as he took the Namek's weak skeletal hand in his own. It was ice cold,
the kind of cold that nothing can warm. Piccolo was gazing up at him with glistening half-closed eyes and squeezed his hand before
allowing his eyelids to drift all the way shut. He was too weak to keep them open anymore, but he was still awake. When Gohan
spoke, he started to cry once again, "It looks like this body doesn't want you anymore so…kiss it goodbye." Tears blurred his vision,
"So take it off like an old pair of clothes and leave it behind. There's so much more you can do with that rare, powerful soul of
yours."

Piccolo's hand slowly relaxed as his breathing started to become shallow and slightly labored as he lost consciousness for the last
time. There were tears on his face, glittering like diamonds in the sunlight coming through the window.

"A rare man like you didn't deserve to live alone the way you did." Gohan sobbed softly as he listened to his dying friend breathe,
then leaned closer and pressed his lips to his cheek. Knowing Piccolo could still hear him, he whispered through his sobs, "You're the
best friend I've ever had, Piccolo…" His lower lip trembled violently, "…and you never left my side when I really needed your help. So
here I am, repaying you by being with you when you need me most." Slowly, Gohan squeezed Piccolo's hand and continued, "You're
my hero and you always will be. I love you, my friend, and I promise you'll never be alone again, be cause I'll never forget you."

ChiChi took two steps into the room, but remained silent. Tears were flowing freely down her face as she rocked Doramu, who was
still being strangely silent. The only sound to break the silence at the moment was the sound of the Namek's weak breaths.

Gohan continued to cry softly as he pressed his cheek against Piccolo's and placed one finger over the vaguely fluttering pulse on his
throat. He sniffled once, then quietly began to sing part of a song he heard once, "You were my strength when I was weak. You were
my voice when I couldn't speak. You were my eyes when I couldn't see. You saw the best there was in me. Lifted me up when I
couldn't reach. You gave me faith 'cuz you believed. I'm everything I am because you loved me…" He fell silent and controlled his
sobs when he felt ChiChi's gentle hand on his back.

Using gentle care, ChiChi lowered Doramu onto the bed so he was lying on Piccolo's lap. She placed one of his arms around the baby
and kept her hand on his while watching his face. When he was moved, Piccolo stopped breathing for a moment, leading them to
think he was gone until he drew another labored breath.

Gohan kept his cheek pressed to Piccolo's and kept one finger on his pulse while his other hand clutched the skeletal-thin green one
fiercely. He heard the Namek suck in a half-breath and exhale slowly. The next breath was even weaker than the previous, and the
next one after that was barely more than a twitch. Gohan heard Piccolo exhale slowly and felt the pulse under his finger flutter wildly before fading to nothing. Everything became very quiet and still as a silence came over the room.

The sunlight continued to shine onto Piccolo's peaceful face, and the tears that clung to his cheeks caught the light.
 
 

White light gave way to reveal Piccolo as he brought his head down from its inclined position and opened his eyes to find himself
sitting in the lotus position atop of a moon-white cliff that overlooked a glowing white ocean. He got to his feet and looked up at the
night sky where the whole universe was visible in the blackness.

In awe at his surroundings, Piccolo walked closer to the edge of the cliff and gazed down at the distant sea below. The water was so peaceful; there were no huge waves to slam into the flawless white face of the cliff. He felt as if he should have been afraid, but yet he wasn't.

Tilting his head back to look at the sky once again, Piccolo put his arms out to either side, burst into gleeful laughter and dove off the side of the cliff. He fell for what seemed like a blissful eternity, his cape flowing like wings as the wind rushed over his body.

The glowing splash created when Piccolo hit the water defied gravity by continuing upwards, and bubbles were rising from his body as he sank further into endless peace. The childlike smile of glee remained frozen on Piccolo's face, his dark eyes gleaming as his rapidly-sinking shape slowly became a mass of bubbles.

Millions of sparkling bubbles, each one containing an image of what made Piccolo who he was, slowly rose from the water and
spiraled up to join with the bright red star that glimmered overhead like a ruby of incomparable worth.

And slowly, Piccolo became one with Eternity.
 
 

The tears on Gohan's face glittered in the light as he slid his finger away from Piccolo's neck and lowered his head. ChiChi leaned
down and pressed a kiss into his green cheek. Doramu jerked his head up and blinked as got the same feeling he got whenever his
father left the room.

All of a sudden, the silence broke. Doramu started to wail, and ChiChi started to cry softly as she picked the baby up to soothe him. Gohan took Piccolo's body into his arms and rocked it gently as he began to sob. "Goodbye, my friend…" he whispered between sobs. His tears were streaming onto the green man's face, which had become pale from lack of oxygen.

ChiChi walked out of the room with Doramu and looked to the others. Everyone looked up when they saw her there, and she
managed to control her sobs just long enough to whisper, "He's gone…"

Trunks, Bulma, Krillin, Yamcha and Tien all walked over to ChiChi and hugged her gently, then walked their own directions to deal
with their grief.
 
 

A few months after the funeral, Gohan sat down on the floor to put pictures into the scrapbook that Vegeta had given to Piccolo on his Birthday. Doramu, nosey as ever, crawled over and pulled himself to stand so he could look down at the book. A huge smile
appeared on his face and he clapped his hands together when he saw Piccolo's image.

Gohan just stared at the images of his now-dead friend as he glued the last one down. All of a sudden, a single sound snapped his full attention.

"Da-da…"

Gohan's eyes filled with tears as he looked down at Doramu, who was pointing at the last image to be glued down. He smiled, "That's right… Da-da…"

Doramu smiled again, grasped the edge of the scrapbook and helped Gohan to close it.
 

One day, one night, one moment,
my dreams could be, tomorrow.
One step, one fall, one falter,
east or west, over earth or by ocean.
One way to be my journey,
this way could be my Book of Days.

Ó lá go lá, mo thuras,
an bealach fada romham.
Ó oíche go hoíche, mo thuras,
na scéalta nach mbeidh a choích.*

No day, no night, no moment,
can hold me back from trying.
I'll flag, I'll fall, I'll falter,
I'll find my day may be, Far and Away.
Far and Away.

One day, one night, one moment,
with a dream to believe in.
One step, one fall, one falter,
and a new earth across a wide ocean.
This way became my journey,
this day ends together, Far and Away.

This day ends together, Far and Away.
Far and Away.
- Book Of Days, by Enya

* (translation)
From day to day, my journey,
The long pilgrimage before me.
From night to night, my journey,
The stories that will never be again.
 
 
 
 

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