Despite Roshi stating that he should lie down and rest Goku had refused, choosing to sit in the old man's chair with his… son?... in his lap, stroking the sleeping boy's hair. His face had begun to bruise, one eye was swollen shut, and from the way he would wince from time to time it must have been agony sitting there, the little boy pressed against his cracked ribs. Yet there had been something in his eyes when Roshi had suggested he go to sleep and let them deal with the little monkey-tailed boy; a need to be there. To have his child with him. His friends as well.
Except… not all of them. Not really.
"I was going to tell him he was my brother."
Piccolo felt like a total outsider as he watched Goku and his friends stare at the body of Yamcha. He didn't belong there, watching as they grieved. There was no mirth either, no satisfaction. Five years ago he would have enjoyed seeing them mourn their friend but only because he had been the one to put him down. A showing of his power, that he could do more than merely kill a person… he could make them not want to live anymore.
'That's why its better to be alone,' He thought to himself from the corner he had chosen to linger in. 'You can't be hurt when you are alone. You don't feel the need to grieve when there is no one around that you care for. Can't have someone be used against you either. It's foolish. They're foolish. All of them.'
"After today, I was going to find him," Goku continued on, eyes never shifting away from Yamcha's body as it lay on the couch across from him. The others had sat down on the floor, never considering for a second moving the corpse to the ground and taking the seat for themselves. "I was going to tell him that he was more than my friend… he was my brother. My family."
Bulma let out a little hiccup and pressed her face against Tien's shoulder, the triclops patting her back gently.
Since he could remember he'd isolated himself from the world. Understood what he was: a demon. A monster. The threat that would either rule or be destroyed. There was no inbetween for him: either he would sit on a throne made from the corpses of his enemies or he'd be buried in a grave, forgotten and unmourned. It had been engrained in him by his father, whispered in his mind from the moment he had been created. Monsters didn't need friends. And from what he was seeing he was lucky he didn't have them. It only meant hurting when they were gone.
Yes… it was better his way.
"I know… I know all of you won't like hearing this but we really do need to begin thinking about a plan," Roshi said quietly.
"What do you mean?" Bulma managed to get out.
"Kayos only managed to buy us 13 months," Roshi said, glancing over at the man in question. The newcomer, the one that Piccolo had only met at the plain where he and Goku had fought Raditz, was maybe even more of an outsider than he was. At least Piccolo had some history with the group; from what Krillin had mentioned Kayos had only met them a few hours ago. And already he had witnessed one of them die.
'Maybe he'll realize how dangerous it is to have friends too,' Piccolo thought, staring at the human from the corner of his eye.
"So what?" Bulma hissed. "We get our affairs in order before that big puffy haired jerk comes and kills us all?"
"We have to prepare for Raditz to return, Bulma," Goku said gently.
"You couldn't beat him, Goku! You and Piccolo together were no match for him! All Kayos did was prolong our execution! And he could still kill us at any moment, if he wanted."
"I don't think he will," the blond stated. He was standing off to the side, shifting with unease, unable to settle himself
"Oh what do you know?" Bulma snapped, glaring at him. "According to Tien and Krillin you were calling him 'Lord Raditz'! What, now working for him? Is that it? Decided to betray the entire human race-"
"That's enough."
Piccolo was just as surprised as everyone else when he realized he had been the one to speak up.
"Kayos here did what he could to help us. And he bought us time which is important. Yes, Raditz was stronger than us but now that we know he's coming back we can prepare."
Goku nodded quickly. "Yeah! And I agree with Kayos… I don't think Raditz will go back on his word. He kept mentioning his pride and his honor as a Saiyan… he wouldn't want to risk that by coming back and killing us all at random."
"You don't know that, Goku," Tien said, not being rude but still firm. "He could return at any moment."
"No… no, he's going to honor is word," Goku repeated earnestly. "And we will be getting ready for him." A fire burned in his gaze, even injured as he was; Goku was looking forward to that next fight.
"While he's getting ready for us!" Krillin complained, arms folded over his chest and face twisted in a scowl. Where Goku had the confidence that with enough training he could overcome his brother… Krillin had only known that the last fight had cost them a friend. "He's going to be training too! We aren't going to stand a chance."
Piccolo was an outsider. He didn't want to be part of this group. Didn't need to be. Half a decade ago he would have gleefully slaughtered them all.
"If you think like that," he said coolly, "than you are throwing away Yamcha's sacrifice."
"Hey!" Krillin shouted, leaping to his feet. "Who asked you-"
"No," Roshi chimed in, "Piccolo is right. Yamcha gave his life so that you could live, Krillin… are you really going to waste it by sitting around here, moping?"
That caused the bald little man to wilt. "…no." He took a breath and Piccolo had to admit he was impressed how the fighter's spine straightened and he seemed to rally within just a few moments. The despair over what he saw as their doom disappeared, leaving only raw drive. "No," he said with more determination. "We are going to show that bastard just what us Earthlings are capable of! He is going to pay for killing our friend."