A week passed. Vegeta and Kuririn met their end the morning after the Paozu village was destroyed. Gohan and Piccolo, exhausted from their encounters, were unable to show up to help. They did, however, arrive in the city the day after to recover the bodies.
The day following, Piccolo decided to start training again. Because of the house�s destruction, he moved the Sons to where he�d trained Gohan for Vegeta and Nappas� arrival. A small cave became home and though it was hard, life was still worth fighting for. After their sparring sessions, the two fighters would be in charge of finding berries, fish, or meat for dinner and next day�s breakfast. Chi Chi put herself in charge of making the meals and making new clothes. It was safer out in the middle of nowhere, but everyone was always on the alert.
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A month went by. While the androids continued their never-ending torture of the cities and towns, things were a bit more cheerful for Gohan, his mother, and surrogate father. Today was Gohan�s 10th birthday. As the sun rose over the barren desert, Piccolo and Gohan emerged from the cave, ready for their sparring session.
�Come back at noon, you two!� Chi Chi called.
�Uh, ok mom!� the demi-saiyajin called back. Piccolo gave her a thumbs-up and snickered. The boy didn�t suspect a thing.
The match began and Piccolo was proud to see Gohan�s drastic improvement in ability. Survival training always seemed to have its effect. Now, they were almost even, the namekian still with a bit of an edge.
They went on well into late morning, until they decided to take a break. Gohan fell to the ground, panting. �Well�I kept up with you�for three hours straight�Piccolo-san��
Piccolo chuckled as he sat down in the grass next to him. �You keep improving, my boy.�
�Hey, Piccolo-san?�
�Eh?�
Gohan looked up at the sky, his broad smile vanishing. �When will we fight the androids again?�
Piccolo drew in a deep breath, �I don�t know, kid. When I feel the time has come for�� he cut himself short.
Gohan sat up, �For what?�
�Never mind. Let�s just say that we should all be enjoying these days.�
�Yeah, you�re right.� The grin returned. �As always,�
Piccolo suddenly got to his feet. �Come on, kiddo. Time to head back. Your mother told us noon.�
�Right!�
As they dashed home along the dirt road, made by them following the same path over and over, Gohan sighed inwardly. The past month was indeed rather happy for the family, considering the circumstances in the outside world. He and Piccolo were closer than ever; so much so that the boy had to watch that he didn�t call him his father. Not that Piccolo would mind much anyway. Even Chi Chi was used to the surly namekian now, though they rarely spoke to one another.
Piccolo glanced back at Gohan, remarking to himself on how much the boy had changed. He was taller now, and his muscles hard. He still looked the same, save the fact that his ponytail was long gone. He looked just like Goku in a way.
Both fighters slid to a halt at the entrance of the cave. Cupping his hands over his mouth, Gohan called, �Mom! We�re back!�
�Out here, Gohan!!� she called back, her voice protruding from the right of the cave. Leading the way, Gohan ran out back, only to freeze in surprise. Chi Chi stood by a large slab of rock that came up to her waist in its height. On it was what appeared to be�a cake? On the ground, wrapped in giant leaves, were presents.
�Happy Birthday, Gohan!� his mother cried. �You�re ten-years-old today!�
�Wow, I totally forgot!� the demi-saiyajin gasped. He turned to Piccolo. �Did you know about this?�
�You bet.�
�Wow! This is great!�
After making quick work of the cake, it was time to open the presents. Chi Chi gave him a photo album, full of pictures from over the years. Some even had Piccolo in it. Piccolo gave him a new set of clothing. It resembled Goku�s more than his own, but the sigil on the back and front had his symbol. For the first time in a whole year, Gohan felt true joy.
Later, as the sun began to dip behind the mountains, master and student stood together at the edge of one of the cliffs. Gohan was wearing his new gi, happy as ever, but there was something different about Piccolo. He looked off into the horizon with a distant look. Finally, Gohan broke the silence. �This was such a great day, Piccolo-san! Thank you!�
Piccolo smiled down at him, and tousled his hair affectionately. �Glad that you�re happy.� But there was no light in his eyes. To Gohan�s shock, just a type of sadness.
�What�s wrong?�
The namekian sighed, �Nothing.�
Just then, a bright red light materialized in the sky to their left. Piccolo closed his eyes, �They�re attacking again.�
For the first time in that entire day, Gohan caught his misery. �Yeah.� He growled, raising his fists. �I wish we could do something!�
Piccolo continued to watch as the unnatural aurora gave way to smoke. His whole body tensed, fists clenching. Gohan looked up at him, a look of concern in his eyes, �Piccolo-san?�
Finally, the green-skinned warrior calmed himself down, not wanting to worry the child. Instead, he pulled Gohan against his side and headed back to the cave. Gohan didn�t realize that he was coming up with a plan.
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That night, the explosions slowly came closer. Now, one could hear the destruction taking place. Chi Chi trembled as she listened, fearing they would be next. Piccolo sat across from her, with Gohan�s head in his lap, like always. He too was aware of the situation�and at long last he knew what he had to do. Getting up slowly, he placed Gohan�s head on the ground. Taking off his cape, he covered the boy�s form with it, knowing that without his ki to help him stay worm, he would get cold in an instant. Finally, he placed his turban under Gohan�s head as a makeshift pillow.
The boy�s mother observed the act with wide eyes, unsure of the namekian�s plans. Piccolo tousled Gohan�s hair lightly for a final time, a sad smile darkening his face. Satisfied in the very least, he turned his attention to Chi Chi. �Take care of him�for me.�
Apparently, he�d forgotten it was her life responsibility, as his mom, to look after him. Still, the realization just caused her to nod. Returning the gesture, he slowly walked out of the cave�s entrance, stopping to glance at the boy he�d fostered for so long. Closing his eyes against the pain, he took off, never to return.
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