บท 5: Chapter 04

LETTIE

"YOU WILL SEE!" exclaimed Gohan. "THIS IS FOR MY DAD!!!!!!!!!!

Mouth agape, I watched him fly through the air and deliver a brutal headbutt right into Raditz's chest, who lost all his breath and color in his face when he received the blow that broke his armor.

How Gohan did that? I had no idea.

Both me, Goku lying on the ground, and Piccolo on the other side, stared at that little boy less than a meter tall, now also lying on the ground, confused with himself with the power he had just shown.

I believe I was so stunned, that I just stood there, frozen. Even my own body I could not feel.

"Gohan..." I heard Goku say; his voice barely coming out as he reached out his shaking arm to his son. "R-Run..."!

However, Raditz was faster. Taken by rage, he approached Gohan and hit the side of his head, and then, in the next second, I witnessed my nephew fall unconscious to the ground in front of me.

That was the last straw.

My body, which I couldn't feel before, became vivid. I felt every inch of my skin, my blood rushing through my veins and, most of all, my heart screaming in my chest as I contemplated the fallen Gohan.

He had no fault for his father's reckless actions. He was just a terrified child watching his hero being beaten by Raditz.

Witnessing Gohan being defeated with such cruelty was like an insult given directly at me, as if I had felt his pain.

No. He'll pay for this. Raditz. Will. Pay!

Nobody messes with my nephew. Nobody messes with my family.

"You..." I slowly left the crater, glaring at Raditz and shaking all over. "You... BASTARD!!!"

A powerful force took me over, and I advanced towards him, who saw me approaching with wide eyes.

"LETTIE, NO!" I heard Piccolo shout from afar, but it was too late to stop me.

I threw a right cross punch to Raditz's chin, who staggered back, not understanding how he had been hit, then I quickly crouched down and swung my legs in a sweep kick, causing him to fall flat on his back on the ground.

I got on top of him to lock him with my legs, so I could punch him in the face, but he was faster than me. Raditz swung his arm at my shin and knocked me to the ground next to him, and then he stood up and grabbed the collar of my kimono, glaring at me with his manic eyes.

"Did you really think you could stand a chance against me, little sister?" he growled, close to my face. "You're nothing but a fool!"

"Lettie...!" said Goku in his weak voice.

The last thing I saw was Raditz's fist coming towards my face, and I blacked out.

***

A cry echoed, distant in my ears, as if muffled by a cloak; a cold and… wet cloak?

I couldn't breathe.

I woke up with a startle, with my heart racing, and when I looked down, I saw that I was lying in a shallow pond, coughing like crazy from the water that had gotten into my nose and throat. My head throbbed in pain.

Beside me, Gohan was crying. Like me, he was soaked and catching his breath.

"Gohan!" I took him in my arms, squeezing him tightly. "A-Are you okay?!"

As I stroked him on the back to calm him down, I looked around and saw that we were no longer at the place of the fight against Raditz.

It was also a large green area, with a few trees here and there and rock formations topped with grass. High mountains appeared at the end of the horizon of that plain.

That's when my gaze met his.

"P-Piccolo...?!" I exclaimed.

He was watching us from the edge of the pond, somber, with his white cape flowing and his arms crossed.

Wait... Arms, in plural?

"Y-Your..." I stuttered. "Y-Your arm...?"

"Yeah," he snapped. "I made it grow again. Just like a lizard, paraphrasing Krillin when he saw it."

I frowned in bewilderment but said nothing, still trying to identify where we were. I got up in the pond with difficulty, still shivering from the cold and shaking Gohan, and walked outside, splashing water as I went out. Piccolo followed us with his gaze as I sat on a nearby rock. Now, Gohan just sobbed and spasmed from shaking.

Piccolo approached us, and we faced him from below.

"Aunt Lettie..." Gohan cringed into my arms as we were covered by his shadow. "Who is he? Who is this monster?"

Piccolo stiffened, wrinkling his nose in a grimace. "I'm not a monster! I'm just... different."

We remained quiet. It was then that I felt my nose a bit... strange. Oh, I remembered. I had been knocked out by Raditz right in the face. He must have dislocated my nose.

Quickly, with one hand, I did the unpleasant task of putting it in place, as I had done so many other times during my fights in the clandestine arenas.

I raised my head and asked, "What happened, Piccolo? Where's Goku? And Raditz?"

He took a deep breath and hardened his face even more. "After you and Gohan were knocked out by Raditz, Goku managed to immobilize him again." He paused. "And then, I also managed to launch my attack once more. However, since Goku was holding him from behind, he also got hit and... died."

Silence.

My mouth and throat went dry.

"W-What...?" I whispered, staring at him.

"That's what you heard. Your brother is dead," declared Piccolo. "Before Raditz also died, he revealed that, within a year, two more Saiyans will arrive at Earth to exterminate the entire human race. If they manage to gather the Dragon Balls, then the result will be even more devastating. That's why I brought you both to this place. I will train you to defeat these two who will arrive soon. I don't like doing this at all, but you have Saiyan blood, therefore, you have great potential. Gohan, though, still doesn't know how to control his emotions and powers. As for you, you said you never had training, and I was able to confirm that with my own eyes when I saw your stupidity when you faced Raditz all by yourself. You may not be as dumb as Goku, but you still have a lot to improve."

Everything was dazing around me, and I covered my mouth, not believing what I had just heard, and I shivered, but no longer from the cold.

Gohan expressed the statement that haunted my mind, "W-Wait a minute, sir... M-My daddy... He... He died?!"

"Yes. I've already said that. Didn't you hear?"

For the first time, Gohan didn't cry. I believe the news was so dreadful that he simply froze, and the only thing he did was turn to me and hug me tightly, hiding his face in my chest and squeezing the collar of my kimono to the point that I heard the fabric tear up.

I still had my mouth covered, and my eyes stared at the ground.

Goku… was… dead?

My brother, whom I had barely met, but also whom I had already felt a fraternal affection for, was gone? Gone by the hands of the man standing in front of me and who claimed he would train us for a pair of Saiyans who wanted to destroy humanity?!

Does that mean that, of all my blood relatives, the only one left was… Gohan?

I couldn't hold it any more, and I cried. Tears streamed down my cheeks as I hugged the only family I had left, letting out a sob that came from the back of my throat.

"Argh! What is that?!" said Piccolo in anger. "Don't make a fuss about it! Stand up, you idiots! We don't have time for sentimentality!"

With red and swollen eyes, I slowly raised my head.

That was also the last straw for me.

I had been knocked out and kidnapped by Raditz; I had discovered that, in fact, I am an alien; I had had my rib cage broken by the man who claimed to be my brother; my nephew was kidnapped; we went to rescue him, only to have my only other good brother killed; I was knocked out and kidnapped AGAIN, now by the guy who had killed Goku; Gohan and I were hurt, inside and out, in the presence of an unknown individual and who knows where; and finally, that said individual was disdaining our suffering and feelings of mourning for the brother I barely knew and already lost??

I had every right to be furious.

I put Gohan down, headed to Piccolo, and slapped him in the face.

He froze, visibly shocked by my attitude and with his cheek red. I think he was expecting anything from me; a punch, a kick, whatever!, but a slap? That, for sure, was more humiliating than any other blow.

We glared at each other for long seconds, with my chest rising and falling. Then, I raised onto my toes as tall as I could reach his face, and whispered through gritted teeth, "You really are a monster."

Piccolo held his breath and quivered. For a millisecond, I saw a gleam of sadness in his dark eyes, but it soon disappeared, giving way to a look full of resentment.

I turned my back, picked Gohan up and walked away, leaving him behind.

With my head burning in pain and boiling over the latest events, I started walking. I didn't know where I was going, I just knew I needed to get out of there; get out of Piccolo's stupid presence.

As I walked, I looked around to try to identify our location but failed miserably. I never had even left the city where I grew up, so I could be in the countryside or on the other side of the world, and I couldn't tell apart.

Gohan remained in my arms, with his head lying on my shoulder, in a silent and depressed state due to his father's death, and the only thing I could do was caress his back and tell him that everything was going to be okay.

But I wasn't so sure about that.

I walked until the sun began to set behind the mountains, hoping to find a road or somewhere we could call for help and get home, which only made me feel worse. Gohan certainly had his home, but what about me? Mine had been destroyed by Raditz.

It was better not to think about that for now. One problem at a time.

When the stars were already shining in the sky and the Moon was lighting our path, I finally realized that we were lost in the middle of the wilderness.

Little by little, darkness and the sound of nocturnal animals surrounded us, and a wave of terror wanted to crash over me. But I had to be strong for Gohan, who had fallen asleep. If his own aunt, a grown-up woman, panicked, what would be of him?!

We arrived at a small clump of trees, and I was already dying of thirst and fatigue. Then, as every bad situation can get worse, I tripped over a piece of an exposed tree root and ripped the sole of my boot.

Great.

However, I heard a sound that resembled a choir of angels: running water.

With my hopes renewed, I followed that sound until I reached the edge of that clump of trees and came across a narrow river that went as far as my eyes could see.

I have never felt so much joy.

Carefully, I woke Gohan up, and I drank until my stomach was swollen. We sat down on the riverbank and I took off what was left of my boots, analyzing with a pained expression the many blisters that had formed on my feet, and placed them in the cool water, allowing myself to enjoy that relaxing moment while Gohan imitated me, with his little feet dangling in the water.

Since the night was warm, I took off Gohan's coat, as well as I took off my belt and the top part of my kimono, leaving me with the pants and a white tank top I wore underneath, and washed our dirty arms and faces. We relieved ourselves behind a bush, and afterward, we found a fallen trunk near the river and I decided we would rest there.

"Aunt Lettie," said Gohan while using the top part of my kimono as an improvised pillow, "I'm hungry."

My stomach growled loudly in response, and I gave him an awkward smile. With a pain in my heart and stroking his thick black hair, I replied to him the phrase I heard the most as a child in the many shelters I've lived in, "Go to sleep and it will go away."

Crestfallen, he just accepted it and closed his eyes. I lay down next to him, and he snuggled into me, curling up as I hugged him.

"I miss Daddy..." he said, softly.

I felt a big lump in my throat. What does one respond to such a statement? In the condition he was in? The only thing I managed to do was kiss the top of his head, whispering, "I know, sweetheart... I know..."

After a few minutes, I heard Gohan's deep sleeping breathing. But I, on the other hand, couldn't sleep a wink.

What was I doing?

At that point, my background as a fighter and my Saiyan blood didn't mean anything, because, at the end of the day, the reality was that we were nothing more than a woman and a child alone in the middle of the absolute nothing. How would I protect Gohan? Or feed him? It seemed like we were far from any civilization.

I squeezed my eyes shut, and a tear ran down my cheek as I thought about my brother. Having him here would definitely lessen my feelings of worthlessness and humiliation. In addition, a strange feeling was coming over me; a horrifying chill, a sinister fear. It seemed like an imminent danger was lurking around us. I kept hearing sounds, noises, and branch snaps coming from all directions. Something was lurking around us, I was sure.

I tried to calculate some escape route in case something happened, but I didn't even know where to go, much less what could attack us. Besides, I couldn't see almost anything due to the darkness.

I never wanted so much to be in my musty small room in the clandestine arena.

"Crack" — I heard a branch breaking and became alert. Silently and carefully, I moved away from Gohan and sat down, looking around for what had caused that noise.

A figure passed through the trees, quick and stealthy, raising the hairs on the back of my neck. Another figure, on the opposite side. My breathing was shaky, and I saw a third figure, followed by the fourth.

Whatever they were, they had surrounded us.

I heard a kind of growl, mixed with a guttural purr. I picked Gohan up, doing my best not to wake him from how much I was shaking. It was then that, from behind a bush, a pair of glowing eyes emerged.

A lioness.

I had to cover my mouth to prevent myself from screaming. She approached slowly and silently, with her belly close to the grass. At a glance, I could finally spot the other three lionesses, also closing their distance.

My heart sank. Gohan and I would become the dinner of a pack.

Was that it? That was how it would end? I had lived a whole life of misery, growing up without anyone, skipping from shelter to shelter, fighting in the most disgusting places in the city, and then discovering that I did have a family, that I did have people who could love me and welcome me, to now die a slow and painful death, witnessing my nephew being devoured alive by those carnivores?

A tear ran down my face, and for a second, I regretted walking away from Piccolo.

The lioness was now less than two meters away from us. Her paws were the size of Gohan's head, still oblivious to the terrible future that awaited him, sleeping in the most perfect peace in my arms.

I took a step back and bumped into the fallen tree trunk. No way out.

The lioness bared her teeth at me, and her growl grew louder.

I closed my eyes, waiting for the attack and praying it would be quick.

The lioness then roared and I heard her jump, but her claws didn't reach us.

Still with my eyes closed, I heard the sound of the lionesses' grunts, but they no longer sounded like they were attacking, on the contrary, they sounded like they were... being beaten.

I dared to open my eyes and gasped when I saw him, fighting the lionesses and knocking them down to the ground in the purest demonstration of body combat.

Piccolo.

He struck them, leaving them bewildered with just one punch or kick, dodging their fangs and sharp nails, in a mix of masculine screams and furious roars.

Gohan woke up, confused, and shouted as he witnessed such a scene. One of the lionesses heard him and dashed towards us. I crouched down with him, letting out a scream of despair.

For the second time, nothing reached us. Piccolo got in front of us and grabbed the lioness by the neck, lifting her off the ground, and threw her into the trees, where she ran away, crying in fear.

Piccolo turned his head back, and our gazes met for about two seconds until he screamed in pain when the last lioness bit his arm. However, with his other hand, he grabbed the animal's mouth, opening it with raw power, and hit her on the head, making her also run away with the other lionesses who had already fled.

I stood up and we stayed there, with just the sound of our panting breaths and the river water running in a tranquility in the completely opposite state of our mind.

Slowly, Piccolo turned to me and said, "You've got to be pretty stupid to think you could sleep next to a river in the middle of a place like that. It's obvious there would be animals in the area." And he began collecting sticks scattered around and piling them on the ground.

I didn't even know what to respond. Gohan and I just stared at him in perplexity, shaking in each other's arms as a result of the adrenaline we suffered. But, thinking about it, Piccolo was right. It was as if I had handed us over to the wild animals when I thought that was a good area for resting.

If I had at least built a fire, like Piccolo was doing now so easily, I could've helped scare away the lionesses, but then I remembered that even that I didn't know how to do, and the only conclusion I came to was that I was nothing but a useless woman who put her nephew's life at risk.

Piccolo then sat down on the fallen trunk and grimaced as he analyzed the wound on his arm. "Dammit."

After making sure there was nothing else threatening us, I went to him and placed Gohan on the ground, kneeling in front of him and taking his arm to see the injury. Piccolo didn't like that I touched him.

"It doesn't look good..." I examined the cut's depth in the pink muscles on his forearm, while Gohan peered over my shoulder. "It needs care, or it'll get an infection."

"Don't you think I know that?" Piccolo took his arm away from me and rested it on his leg.

I remained quiet, rubbing my hands, not knowing what to say, until I asked, "Why did you do it? Why did you help us? Not by out of mere kindness, I'm sure."

Piccolo closed his eyes and took a deep breath, certainly gathering all his patience, and replied coldly, "You're necessary to fight those Saiyans that are coming to Earth. Just for that."

"Why didn't you use your powers against the lionesses?"

Piccolo frowned, looked away, and muttered, "They would do much damage. It could end up hitting you. No more questions, now."

Even with his irritable tone, I felt worse than before, so I decided to say the only two words I thought it was correct for that moment, "Thank you."

He looked at me in a suspicious way.

"I mean it," I said firmly. "Thank you. If it weren't for you, I... Ah... I don't even like to think about what could've happened to us." I glanced at Gohan, who grabbed my arm as he evidently also thought about that.

Piccolo just snorted and rolled his eyes. However, he soon made a pained expression as he got his attention back to his forearm. We kept looking at the wound, illuminated by the firelight, until Gohan and I suddenly gasped in surprise.

"The wound...!" I exclaimed. "It's... closing!"

Indeed it was. Like magic, Piccolo's muscles began to form around the wound, covering the cut with brand-new pink skin.

"You..." I whispered in awe. "You can… regenerate!"

"Awesome!" added Gohan, open-mouthed.

Piccolo shrugged and replied, "That's one of the advantages of being a monster."

A super awkward silence fell over us.

I lowered my head and ran my hands over my face, sighing, "About that... I... Uh..." I dared to make eye contact. "I'm sorry for calling you that."

Piccolo narrowed his eyes, scrutinizing me carefully, even seeming a little… confused. After a few seconds, he said, "You're the first person who thanked me and who also apologized to me for something."

Once again, I didn't know what to respond. Was I supposed to be happy with that information or sorry for him? In the end, I just bit the inside of my mouth, feeling a mix of both.

"So?" asked Piccolo.

"What?"

"Aren't you going to apologize for also slapping me in the face?"

That caught me off guard.

"I-I... Well... Uh..." I puffed my cheeks. "No. I won't apologize. You deserved that." I felt a bit embarrassed, but then I glanced with fear at Gohan, who was paying attention to our conversation, and lowered my voice, "You made fun of us, Piccolo. My brother and… and his father… died. From what little I know of you, I see you don't care much about feelings, but let's face that you have to at least try to understand such a situation, huh?"

Piccolo looked grumpy at first, but he took another deep breath, and seemed to consider the question, and replied, "There's one detail missing I couldn't tell you both, since you didn't allow me." He pointed to his own cheek. "Anyway..." He paused and waved his hands dismissively. "There's no need to mourn Goku's death, because he can be resurrected."

"Resurrected?" Gohan and I repeated.

"Yes. Have you forgotten the Dragon Balls can do that?"

"Are you seeyous?!" Gohan leaned on his knees, and he grunted. "You mean my daddy can come back?!"

"Yes." Piccolo pulled away from Gohan's little hands. "If your friends find the Dragon Balls and make the wish to Shenron. So, as I said, don't make a fuss about it."

I felt like the weight of a mountain was lifted off my back. I turned to Gohan, whose big black eyes were gleaming with excitement and hope of seeing his father again, and I reflected his joy. We both hugged, laughing at the discovery that having Goku back had become a real possibility.

I was so happy that I turned to Piccolo and, without even thinking, I hugged him.

"WHAT THE HECK?!?!?!" he exclaimed, raising his arms to his sides, astonished at my behavior.

"Sorry! Sorry!" I pulled away quickly, raising my hands in surrender while still laughing. "Okay, I got the message. No physical contact with you."

Piccolo adjusted his clothes around his shoulders to regain his tough-guy posture with a dissatisfied face.

My mood had improved by about two hundred percent. I sat cross-legged on the ground, still facing him, and Gohan slid into the space between my legs, watching him from below. However, I soon felt fearful again when I remembered something.

"Piccolo... is it true what you said before?" I gazed at him with tension. "That two Saiyans are coming to Earth to destroy the humans?"

He swallowed saliva and straightened up. "Yes. It is true."

"And you want to train us to fight them? Me and this little boy over here?

"That's right."

We gazed at each other for long seconds, with the sound of the crackling fire and crickets around us, until I replied, "You've got to be joking." I snorted in disbelief. "How can Gohan and I even stand a chance against such powerful warriors?! Two of them?!"

"It seems that you have very little confidence in my Training methods." Piccolo crossed his arms, fully healed from the wound. "Don't you forget that I just fought against four hungry lionesses, and that I managed, all by myself and without an arm, to kill both Raditz and Goku."

"But only because my brother was holding him from behind! You said it yourself."

"Yeah, I heard that, too," added Gohan.

"I-It doesn't matter!" Piccolo shook his head and cleared his throat. "One way or another, the only chance humanity has of surviving these two Saiyans is if you and Gohan learn to fight effectively and appropriately. Remember, we have one year to do this. It's enough time for you to also become great warriors."

I pondered the matter for a while. In fact, Piccolo was also a strong warrior. An annoying and grumpy warrior, but a strong one, and apparently, he knew good fighting techniques. I remember he said something about his flying technique being superior to the Flying Nimbus. It wouldn't be bad if Gohan and I learned how to fly. This ability would have come in handy on the lionesses' attack.

"But, Piccolo," I raised an eyebrow with a playful half-smile, "what about your plan of world domination and such?"

He pursed his lips and looked away. "Yeah..." he mumbled. "I'll have to leave it for later."

I couldn't help but chuckle, which drew a surly look from him.

"Alright. If I agree to carry on with your plan, what we're gonna do with him?" I pointed at Gohan with my head. "I don't want problems with his mother. I imagine she must be crazy with worry about her son, and I believe she must already know about her husband's death."

"Nah, don't worry about that." Piccolo waved his hand with disdain, impatiently. "Before I brought you here, Bulma, Krillin and Master Roshi arrived at the fight place, and it was agreed for them to inform Chi-chi about everything that happened and about my plan to train Gohan."

"Chi-chi?" I asked.

"That's your sister-in-law's name."

"Oh, I see. But would she agree with this idea?"

"From what I know of her, she would hate it and would probably skin myself alive." He showed a bored expression. "However, I told them to let her know that you were coming along, which I don't think will do much good, since she doesn't know you. But, it's the only option we have. She'll have to just accept it."

"Is your mother hot-tempered, Gohan?" I asked.

"Oh, yes!" He nodded with great conviction. "She makes me study the whole day and hates that my daddy goes out to twain. Mommy thinks that fights are a big waste of time and that the only good future is to study to become a great pwofessional in the job market."

For a little boy who had only cried and asked for his daddy since the moment I met him, Gohan suddenly showed himself to be a child with an absurd level of vocabulary for his age. Piccolo and I exchanged slightly astonished looks, and I confess that I felt genuinely afraid of my sister-in-law, Chi-chi.

"Right..." I replied, still not quite sure about having to face an angry mother a year from now, and I put Gohan on his feet, then I stood up with the most confident attitude I could show Piccolo. "Very good, then. I accept your plan to train us. Where's your Martial Arts School?"

Piccolo frowned as he stared at me. "My... Martial Arts School?" He then burst out laughing. "That's funny! You really are as naive as Goku! HAHAHAHAHA!"

"Yeah... Haha..." I forced a chuckle and a shy smile. "Huh… I don't get what's so funny."

Piccolo wiped away a tear, still laughing, and opened his big arms. "This is your Martial Arts School. Welcome!"

No. He couldn't be serious. My dream of going to a real Martial Arts School was over!

"Wait." I raised my hand. "We're going to be trained... H-HERE?! In the middle of nowhere?!"

"Yup," said Piccolo while crossing his arms in an upright posture. "I told you that at the pond. You're the one who didn't pay attention."

Well, I guess I was too busy digesting MY BROTHER'S DEATH!

"B-But, what if the lionesses come back?!" I replied.

"If by the end of our one-year deadline you are not able to protect yourselves from lions, how will you face the two Saiyans?"

I took a quick look at Gohan, who was watching us in silence. To conceive the idea that, in a year from now, he and I would be able to fight against lions was incredible and terrifying at the same time.

"Listen." Piccolo caught my attention. "This is the perfect place for your Training. The environment, the dangers and the challenges, which I will certainly not spare you from facing here, will make you great warriors." He grimaced. "Or, at least, that's what I'll hope and demand of both of you. Do not think you will find a Training as effective as mine at a formal Martial Arts School downtown."

I ran my hand over my forehead and disheveled hair, thoughtful and anguished. For the tenth time on that day, I asked myself what the heck I had gotten myself into. By that time yesterday, I would be in my small rented room getting ready to sleep for the tournament the next day. Now, I was standing in front of a proposal to form an alliance with a green alien and a half-alien child to face two other aliens that were arriving to destroy us.

However, Piccolo's proposal didn't seem that bad. He would teach us, for free, how to fight and become great warriors. FOR FREE! Well, not completely for free, I imagined, for it was very likely that this Training would cost me my physical and mental health. Putting up with that guy would be nothing easy at all. Perhaps it would be the worst challenge I've ever had…

But, still... There was the opportunity I had dreamed of my entire life. I would finally have a teacher, a proper one! Someone willing to teach me!

And, once again, I had a reason to fight for. To be honest, I kind of… had no choice, actually. You see, all of a sudden, the future of humanity had fallen into our hands; mine and Gohan's, and I'm not lying when I say that that freaked me out.

But that was not the time to give up. I simply couldn't.

"Okay, then," I finally replied, with my heart troubled. "I accept your conditions to train us, as long as you also accept mine."

"Huh?" asked Piccolo.

"Don't worry, it's not too many. I'm not a picky woman." I raised an eyebrow. "Buuut... I'm a civilized one, and I'm not going to spend a year of my life living like a homeless person." I suddenly felt a twinge of sadness as I remembered a time of my life I'd rather not talk about. "I've been through a phase like that and... it wasn't any pleasant."

Piccolo and even Gohan must have noticed my sudden downcast expression, as they looked at me in a strange and curious way.

"Anyways," I continued, "if we're really going to live outdoors in this place, I want you to provide some things." I numbered my fingers. "First, we need, at least, a tent for me and Gohan. I would never let my nephew sleep in the open air and with no protection. Besides, from what you said, if his mother finds out about this, in case the two Saiyans don't finish me off when they arrive, Chi-chi certainly will."

"What?!?!" Piccolo retorted in full indignation. "A tent?! You're spoiling the boy!"

"Caring is not spoiling, Piccolo," I said in my best calm, serene and persuasive intonation. How do you expect him or me to perform well in training if we don't get a good night's sleep?" I crossed my arms just like him and looked at Gohan sideways. "Come on, Piccolo. I thought you were smarter."

"I AM SMART!"

"So, are you going to provide the tent?"

His nostrils flared so much it looked like he was going to take off and fly away.

"Alright, alright! Gee..." He covered his face and mumbled, "Why am I doing this?!" He then turned to me, still nervous. "Tell me, who's gonna pay for all this? Do you think I look like a credit card?!"

"No, darling," I said ironically. "Here's the deal: go to the clandestine arena where I used to work and check if there's anything left in my room, which you did the favor of not stopping Raditz from destroying when you followed him. Try to find my personal documents and some belongings. Then, go to the bank and withdraw everything from my account, and buy whatever is necessary for me and Gohan. It's not much, but it's what I managed to save over the last year. I was saving money to buy a house, but," I sighed, "I think it's a plan I'll have to leave it for later as well. I believe I have enough to buy a simple tent, a basic mattress so we don't sleep on the hard ground, a couple of blankets for the cold nights, and some hygiene items, like sanitary pads for me."

"I beg your pardon?" Piccolo blinked several times. "S-Sanitary pads?"

I tilted my head, narrowing my eyes at him. "Wow, I guess you did live your whole life in isolation. Well, I get my period every month, did you know that? What do you expect me to use to hold the blood? A banana leaf? In the middle of this wilderness. No sir! Bring me some packs of overnight pads with wings, please."

"I-I-I'M NOT GOING TO LEAVE THE MARKET CARRYING PACKAGES OF SANITARY PADS!!!" Piccolo turned red, inflating himself even more. Then, upon seeing my reproachful look on him, he lowered his voice in a desperate whisper, "It's just... it's… it's embarrassing!"

"Why are you whispering?" I asked. "There's no one here besides the three of us, and Gohan doesn't even know what a sanitary pad is."

"I do know, Aunt Lettie," he replied, innocently. "Mommy made me learn all about the entire female biological cycle in my studies last month."

For the second time, Piccolo and I looked at each other, frightened by that boy's sudden intelligence and language skills.

"Gohan, sweetheart." I leaned on my knees to reach his height. "Tell Aunt Lettie, how old are you?"

"Hmm..." He counted his fingers. "One... Two... Twee... Four! I'm four!"

"Oh my..." Piccolo wrinkled his nose. "The kid's a nerd in its purest form." He turned to me with an ironic smile. "So, miss? Do you want to add any more items to your list? Champagne and caviar, perhaps?"

"Yes, I do." I mimicked his expression. "Please bring me some chocolate. For my PMS, you know? I need a very sweet chocolate."

Piccolo stood up in a jump and began walking away from us, muttering to himself, "You've got to be kidding me!"

"Hey, wait!" Gohan and I exclaimed together.

"What, now?!" Piccolo looked back, still cross.

I picked up Gohan and we huddled together, looking around in fear.

"Please..." I asked. "Don't leave us here."

"The lionesses won't come back," he assured. "At least, not today."

"Stay, Mr. Piccolo!" begged Gohan with a pout. "Pwease!"

Piccolo also pouted, but of impatience as he watched the two of us there, standing in each other's arms.

"We would feel safer if… if you stayed," I confessed.

In the dim orange light of the fire, I saw Piccolo raise his eyebrows, looking surprised by my words. He then lowered his head and pinched the bridge of his nose, sighing, and returned. I was relieved. When he sat on the trunk again, he took out two fruits from his pockets.

"Here." He threw them to us. "I guess you're hungry."

"Starving!" we replied. "Thank you!"

That fruit was like the best feast in the world, and we devoured it in silence. I wanted to ask Piccolo for one more, but I thought that would be too much. We weren't at that level yet. After wiping my mouth, I got up and approached him, shyly.

"Uh... Excuse me... Piccolo, there's just one more thing that concerns me."

"If it's about the food, I'm the one who will provide it," he replied with a tedious look at the soft current of the river.

Phew. Another relief. But that's not what I was going to say to him.

With extreme embarrassment, I opened my arms and gestured to myself.

"I'm sorry to say, but... I don't think my clothes are appropriate for our Training."

"Don't you have any more in your former room?" asked Piccolo. He was so tall, he didn't even need to look up to be the same height as me.

"If there's anything left over there, about fighting uniform, I might have a couple of tank tops like this one I'm wearing, but they're pretty old."

"Don't you have another kimono?"

"No." I lowered my head to hide how embarrassed I felt. "I… I-I couldn't buy a new one yet. I just have this one."

It was better not to say anything about my ruined boots, but it wasn't necessary, since I saw Piccolo looking at them, thrown next to the riverbank.

"Okay. I got it." He then straightened up. "Stay still."

"What are you going to–"

Piccolo extended his palms toward me and, in the next second, my clothes were magically transfigured. I heard Gohan let out a gasp and I finally gazed at my body.

My old white tank top and pants were replaced by a beautiful set in shades of blue, fitted perfectly for my size and in an incredibly cool, resistant and comfortable fabric. Underneath, a light blue long-sleeved blouse ended in leather wristbands with black straps, until they formed a fingerless glove on my hands. At the bottom, a pair of pants in a darker shade of blue went down to my feet, now covered with two navy blue boots, which had a softness that I've never felt before. And, to complete it all, above everything till up my knees, the kimono top, also in navy blue, was fastened by a wide black leather belt. The most fantastic thing was that both the wristbands, the belt and the boots had weights.

I stared at Piccolo, speechless.

He may have his flaws, but if he had one thing, it was a good fashion sense. I had never felt so beautiful in my entire life. My self-esteem had soared! My dream was back!

I couldn't hold it anymore. I was overcome by a strong emotion, and my legs gave way, causing me to fall to my knees.

"Th-Thank you!" I held back a sob and rushed to hug him, but he soon pushed me away, in that same surly "don't touch me" attitude, and then I stood in front of him and bowed, saying, "Thank you so much, Master." I opened a big smile. "I-It was the best gift I've ever received!"

For some reason, he was in shock. "Huh? What did you call me?"

"Of... 'Master'." I frowned as I didn't get his question. "Since you're going to train me from now on, you'll be my teacher and I should start treating you as such, right? Well... I... uh... at least, that's how I see the students of Martial Arts Schools treat their teachers in the city..."

I noticed that the confusion in Piccolo's eyes only increased, until he curled his lips down and nodded in approval. "Wow, I didn't expect this kind of subordination from you. We're basically the same age."

"I know… But, even though we disagree, a lot, on some points and issues, you saved my life and Gohan's, and, even though I know you're not happy about it, you're willing to use your time to teach us how to fight for a whole year and gave me a uniform that would cost me at least six months of my savings." I kept a firm eye contact. "We may have our differences, but no one has ever done that for me. That's why I mean it when I say I'm grateful."

Piccolo continued with that same expression, blinking and shaking his head at me in a mixture of perplexity and disbelief at my words, and the only possible conclusion I got was that he was telling the truth when he said I was the first person to show him gratitude about something.

"Are you aware that I've killed your brother?" he questioned.

"I am, but you told me yourself that Goku can be resurrected. And from the way you said it, it seemed like you knew this detail when you killed him." I dared to narrow my eyes at him, with a little smile. "I think that, deep down, you admire him and you only did that to provoke him and have a rematch with him in the future."

Piccolo's eyes widened so much that it was as if I had revealed his deepest secret, and my smile got bigger when I saw that, bingo!, I was right. He didn't fool me. I had seen that type of behavior countless times among other fighters. It was almost like a good practice policy: "We pretend to hate each other to make the fight more interesting."

"Hey! Hey!" Gohan slipped between us. "Since that's the case, I also want a new unifowm like my dad's!!!

"Argh!" grumbled Piccolo, still a bit bothered. "No! Your clothes are fine, they're just dirty. Wash them in the river and they'll be new in a second."

Gohan was crestfallen, upset at having his request denied, so, hiding a chuckle, I knelt down next to him and cupped my hand to whisper in his ear, "Say, 'pretty please, Mr. Piccolo'."

Gohan got excited and then stood in front of him like the most innocent soul on the planet, blinked his big eyes and exclaimed in his cute voice, "Pwetty pwease, Mr. Piccolo!"

Piccolo pressed his lips together and puffed out his chest, such indignation he must have felt by seeing himself in a standoff over a little boy who wasn't even his knee-high, and he glared at me, clearly blaming me for being in that situation. I shrugged in a shy posture, making a playful half-smile and trying to convince him through my eyes to comply with the boy's wishes. Piccolo then snorted, puffin his cheeks, until, finally, he rolled his eyes, mumbled a random curse, extended his palm and transfigured Gohan's clothes until he became a mini-version of his father, only with long hair.

Gohan gasped in admiration for the new uniform, and I knelt to make him do a full turn in celebration, until Piccolo lost his patience with our joy and told us to go to sleep, because tomorrow we would wake up before the sun rose, "you pair of spoiled and inconvenient morons, etc etc etc…"

Minutes later, curled up in my arms in the place where we had laid before, Gohan whispered in a worried voice, "Aunt Lettie, do you think we'll be able to defeat these bad guys who are awiving?"

"Gohan, listen carefully." I kissed him on the forehead. "I do not know what strength is in our Saiyan blood. But I know one thing, that we'll do our best in this Training to become the strongest we can get and help save the Earth. We can't give up, no matter what."

He agreed in silence and asked another question, "Will… will I see my daddy again? And my mommy?"

I took a quick look at Piccolo, who remained sitting on the trunk like a guardian angel, gazing at the fire. Although he still wore a grouchy face, something in his appearance made that monstrosity that I saw at first disappear, and I only saw a very, very lonely man.

For some reason, he didn't seem that scary anymore.

"I have faith that you'll see your mommy and daddy again," I replied to Gohan. "However, until that happens, I guarantee that I will not abandon you. I'll take care of you every day. It's a promise."