The comforting image of his namekian comrade finally dissolved into the purple sky of that alien planet, leaving Gohan with one last sentence. �Take care, Gohan.� From where he was standing, the demi-saiyajin watched as Earth erupted in a blinding aurora of blue and yellow. With it went Gohan�s best friend, mentor, and first martial arts master.
Falling to his knees, tears dripped to the ground from Gohan�s face as he hissed his name continuously. �Piccolo-san�Piccolo-san!��
�PICCOLO-SAN!!� Pan, startled by her normally calm father�s outburst, watched in wonder as he broke down, shaking as sobs racked his body. She put a hand on his shoulder, but the guilt stabbing at his heart was unrelenting. �I was my fault!!! It was all my fault!!!!�
�But dad, you couldn�t have known. You were under Bebi�s spell.�
�That�s only part of it�I forgot all about him! I never talked to him or visited him�I can�t even imagine how he must�ve felt!! He must hate me!!�
�But he cared enough to say goodbye to you.� She pointed out. �He�d never bother if he hated you.� She sat back and crossed her arms. �Besides, you were his best friend.�
It took a moment or two for the young man to finally regain his composure. Standing up, he said. �I�ll be back in a bit.�
Pan stared at him warily, as if he was going to go kill himself or something. Sensing her suspicion, he added. �I should be home by dinnertime, don�t worry.� With that, he took to the air, leaving his daughter on the grassy hill.
Gohan�s travels took him to the same barren wasteland that Piccolo had trained him in. The cry of the pterodactyls and the hot, humid air created a sense of familiarity. Yet at the same time, that dagger of guilt stabbed into his heart again. His eyes, already red and puffy, began to leak tears all over again.
�All right already! Stop it with the blubbering!� an-all-too-familiar voice shouted. �I thought you were old enough now that you didn�t have to show such wimpiness!�
Gohan slowly turned around and gasped in wonder. Standing atop a cliff just a few yards away, was Piccolo himself! At first, neither moved, Piccolo being patient as ever, and Gohan�s feet suddenly frozen to the ground.
Just then, a huge, rather scary-looking smile distorted the demi-saiyajin�s face and he ran straight into the namekian, wrapping his arms around his waist like he did when he was a kid. Piccolo was nearly knocked over at the impact, but didn�t seem to mind as he lowered a hand to rest atop Gohan�s head. �I think you�re also getting a little old for this too.�
�No way,� Gohan answered, still with his face pressed against Piccolo�s shirt. �It�s been so long since we last saw each other.�
Piccolo sighed. �Well, you can�t help the fact that you have more commitments in your life now. It�s in no way your fault.�
�But we�re friends, Piccolo-san. I just feel like I deserted you.�
�Nonsense, brat.�
The two old friends remained in that position for sometime, Gohan still blubbering like a child, and Piccolo standing there, waiting patiently. Finally, Gohan released his grip on the namekian and straightened, wiping his eyes. �Sorry, sir. I guess I forgot how you feel about getting bear-hugged.� He noticed the halo floating over his head. �How did you manage to get back here?�
�Technically, I�m supposed to be serving time in Other World for getting into trouble so I could help your father escape. But, it is a half-sentence kind of thing. I can come and go as I please, as long as I spend at least twelve hours in the next dimension daily.�
�Wow!�
�I just started coming back today.� Piccolo looked over the demi-saiyajin�s shoulder. �Where�s your brat?�
�She stayed home.� Gohan answered cheerfully. �I�ll bring her to see you tomorrow if you want.�
�Yeah, sure.�
And so, the ways of the past returned.
THE END