Memories: Part II – The Present

Warning: Lemony content below! If you are underage, please leave this chapter. FF.net still allows us the R-rating for stories and we don't want that taken from us too. Thank you for your time. For those who are of age (and you are, right?), welcome! Now on with the story…

"It's beautiful, isn't it?"

"Videl?"

He jumped and turned with a start. He couldn't believe it but there she was! Videl stood in front of him, tears ran down her cheeks and she smiled at him. He was so astonished he couldn't move. She did. Videl moved closer to him, so close hat he could feel her warm breath against his cheek. She lowered her head and buried it in his chest as she wrapped her arms around him. As the shock slowly wore off, he put his arms around her. She brought her head up after a time and looked into his eyes. She drew her face close to his and kissed him. Their kiss seemed to last for eternity, and neither wanted it to end.

Gohan eventually broke away from the kiss, his face flushed with heat. "How," he started hoarsely, "how did you get here?"

"You know," she said quietly, "you're a hard man to find."

"It's really you! I…I can't believe it!"

She smiled as he brushed her cheek with is finger. "Believe it, my love." She buried herself in his chest again. "I've missed you so much!"

"I've missed you too, Videl." He hugged her closer to him, letting his love envelop her.

He let her go when she gently tried to pull away from him after long minutes. "I don't know how much time I have left," she stated.

"What do you mean?"

He finally saw how tired she appeared. She sighed and explained "I used my ki to find you from the outside. When I felt the piece of you that was lock away I sent part of myself into you to try and get you out. I found myself surrounded in total darkness until a path appeared in front of me." She shook her head; "I started seeing memories from my past, and other memories that weren't mine."

"That's what happened to me too," he said excitedly. "I caught images from memories that I didn't live through, and I think they were yours."

She nodded, "Yes, they were. And I could tell that some of the memories were yours. I guess that our memories got all mixed up here."

Gohan looked around, the landscape hadn't changed, and they were still on the island from their shared memories. "But what was that all about," he spread his hands wide indicating the island, "and what about this?"

I don't know," she shrugged. "Before I found you, I thought about this place and it suddenly appeared."

They weren't closer to the answers they wanted, but they were finally together. Videl sank to the ground, feeling very tired. Gohan gathered her in his arms and held her. "Now that we're together how do we get out of here?"

Videl sighed as she smiled, "I have no idea."

Gohan cursed under his breath, he couldn't tap into his power and the trip for her took more out of her than she anticipated. His mind raced as he tried to come up with a solution. "Let's see, the last thing I remember before my bonds broke was seeing you hit me with your ki. I could feel your ki spiking higher than your body could take."

"Oh that," she said waiving her hand nonchalantly, "Vegeta taught me that."

His eyes widened, "Vegeta?"

She nodded, "Yes. He trained me in the Room of Spirit and Time. He taught me all sorts of useful tricks. They've kept me alive so far."

Gohan was impressed beyond words! Vegeta? Training someone other than Trunks?

"He also taught me things about your race," she said. "He taught me about the bond."

"Bond?" he asked confused.

She nodded and closed her eyes, trying to bring the memory to bare. The island slowly faded into darkness and was replaced by the endless, surreal expanse of the pocket dimension known as the Room of Spirit and Time. Vegeta stood there dressed in his blue muscle T-shirt and training pants. His arms were folded across his chest and he looked like he was waiting. Videl came up behind him and he began lecturing.

"It's what we saiyans call bonding. When two spirits touch and are found compatible they bond together in a way that almost defies meaning. It is how we saiyans find our mates."

"Mates? You mean like getting married?" She started to blush a bit.

Vegeta closed his eyes and smiled. "You humans have no concept what it's like when you bond with a saiyan. Only Bulma and Chi-Chi and now you know what it feels like."

"But..." she stammered.

"Get over it," he said in a hard tone. "You've just begun the bonding process, there's more to it than connecting your spirits."

"It was just a brief second, I couldn't hold the connection."

"It will come with time. You know," he said, his smile broadening, "Bulma was the one who initially bonded with me the first time."

"How?"

He sighed, "That damn woman! Her fire was what set off the bond. I couldn't stand her! And yet, there was something about her that intrigued me. I didn't realize what was happening before it was almost too late."

"What do you mean?" she asked.

"Once the bonding process has started it grows over time. The two spirits are almost in constant contact with each other, but you don't even know it. It's a failsafe mechanism that allows one to know when the other is in danger. But that's just scratching the surface."

"I know when Gohan's been in trouble before, all I had to do was sense for his ki signature. How is that different from the bond?"

"The bond is so much more," he replied. "Take Kakarot and Chi-Chi for example. Those two, I hate to say it, are meant for each other. Kakarot is an idiot, pure and simple. Chi-Chi is the other part of him that makes him complete...if that's possible," the last he uttered under his breath. "Once the bonding is complete a transformation of sorts comes over them, heightened senses, an awareness of danger, and a feeling of indescribable completeness. This doesn't happen overnight, it takes time. The natures of the bonding spirits need to find a stable ground to grow. It could take months or years depending on how combative the two spirits are toward each other. It took Bulma nearly a year before she was able to find that middle ground with me."

"I suspect Kakarot and Chi-Chi took less time, given his damnable easy-going nature," Vegeta mused.

"How do you know when and who you are going to bond with?"

"It just happens," he shrugged. "Why do people fall in love? It's a question that can't be answered. The bonding can happen at any age. Back on Vegeta, when I was young and doing my initial training several other warriors that were about Gohan's age when we fought Cell were already bonding with saiyan women. When it happens it happens, and it's for life."

"Can the bond be broken?"

"Not even death can permanently break the bond. However, for the one left alive the days can prove...troublesome. Chi-Chi would know what I speak of. Death does weaken the bond, but no more. From what I'm told the still living mate feels hollow and incomplete. However it is only temporary. When the other one goes to the spirit world the spirits are reunited once again. We saiyans haven't encountered any other races yet that have anything akin to the bond."

"So, you think Gohan and I are bonded somehow?"

"Of course," he replied. "Frankly, I'm surprised it's taken this long for it to become a reality. I thought you two would have bonded a while ago."

"But that's such a big step," she said shakily. "I don't know if I'm ready for that yet."

"It doesn't matter. You initiated the bonding process. Obviously you are ready."

"But," she stammered. He raised his hand, "Enough talk. Look, it's not a bad thing. It's the most wondrous experience you'll ever have and you will constantly be in that state for the rest of your life."

"If it's so wonderful," she countered, " then why are you so pissed off all the time?"

His right eyebrow twitched, and he flexed his arms to keep himself under control. "It has nothing to do with the bond," he replied evenly. "My reasons are my own, so stay out of my business."

"Sorry," she replied, stiffening a little.

He sighed in exasperation. "I don't know why I'm trying to prove this to you," he explained. She looked over at him and he appeared to be in deep thought. A few moments passed.

"Fine," he said evenly. "If this doesn't prove the power of the bond, nothing will." He stretched out his hand to her.

"What are you talking about?"

"No more questions," he said quietly. "Take my hand and open yourself up. Free your mind and relax."

She gave him a sidelong glance, not knowing what he was up to. "Hurry up," he snapped causing her to jump, "we don't have all day!" Gathering her courage she took his hand…

The image faded, replaced by darkness. Gohan devoured the information as it came to him. "So," he began, "we're…bonded?"

She nodded, smiling. "Vegeta said I started the bond between us. He showed me what the bond felt like, honestly, I can't describe it. But it was the most wonderful feeling in the world."

"But I could feel your ki before and I could tell when you were in trouble. How is this 'bond' different?"

"Vegeta said the bond gets stronger over time. It just takes a while."

The gears slowly turned inside his brain. "Okay," he said, his face frowning as he struggled to comprehend it all, "I think I get it. No…wait," he said as his eyes widened and his face brightened, but then the frown returned, "No…"

Videl smiled as she looked at him. For someone who got the highest scores in his class, and who was studying in one of the most prestigious universities in the world, he sure was dumb sometimes! "Look," she said as she sat up from his lap, "I think I have an idea that might help you understand."

He nodded as she pressed him gently down on the dark ground and lay down on top of him. "Now relax," she said as she traced her fingers around the muscles on his chest.

He did as instructed, but given the compromising position he was in it was a bit hard. Videl closed her eyes and tapped into her ki. Her power increased and the silver aura surrounded both her and Gohan. She let the ki run through every part of her body and once her power reached a certain level she held it. Slowly, she forced all of the emotions out of her mind as she concentrated on holding her power. She left one emotion inside her and that was her undying love for Gohan. She let her love for him flow through her body like her power did and when she was finished her aura changed from a bright silver to a light blue. She opened her eyes and looked down at him. Her look spoke volumes of her true love for him. She pressed her body against him, feeling the full measure of his being. She lowered her head to his and kissed him gently on the lips.

As she kissed him, her light blue aura slowly enveloped him. Her tongue gently opened his mouth as she passionately kissed deeper, then she released her power.

Gohan felt like a thunderbolt just struck him! Her power coursed through him, energizing every nerve in his body. The feeling wasn't harmful in the slightest; in fact, it was the most wondrous experience he ever had!

She kissed him harder, giving in to her desires for once. He was kissing back as passionately as she was, and she felt his hands go under her shirt. She threw the half jacket off and began taking his shirt off as well. The landscape surrounding them changed, but they didn't seem to notice. They were in a large room. The only light came from a cackling fire in the fireplace. Gohan lay on a white bear rug and she was still on top of him. He got her shirt off and lightly ran his hands down her back. Then he shifted them and began tracing his fingers up her stomach. She arched her back and sighed in pleasure as his hands found what they were looking for. Her hands attacked his pants while his went higher to trace her neck and each side of her cheek. The sensations of his fingers were so intoxicating to her! She caught one of his fingers in her mouth and gently bit down on it. She ran her tongue playfully around it before letting go.

Videl got off of him and finished taking the rest of his clothes off. Suddenly, he was on top of her, kissing her neck. His hands traced down to her pants and started unbuttoning them. She ran her hands through his hair, waiting for him to finish. His lips returned to hers when he was don and she wrapped her legs around his back as instinct took over…

They didn't know why much time passed nor did they care. Lost in each other's arms they were truly one. Afterwards, they shifted position so she could lie on top of him. He stroked her hair as she rested contentedly on his chest. The scene changed back to the darkness, but they didn't seem to notice. For several more long moments the only sounds they heard was their breathing. Videl eventually broke the silence.

"That was more than I ever dreamed," she purred.

Gohan felt different somehow. It wasn't the felling of what they just accomplished, but something else…something more. He felt…complete. The very being of Videl filled his soul in a way that nothing ever had before. It was strange, exciting, horrifying and pleasant at the same time. And it felt so right! He looked down to see her staring up at him. He smiled, "What?"

She shook head, and returned the smile, "Nothing. I'm just so happy." She sighed and pressed her head back down on his chest. She could hear the steady thumping of his heartbeat against her head, and she traced his chest muscles with a finger.

They eventually got up and put their clothes back on. That's when things started to get weird. Videl suddenly clutched her sides in pain and she doubled over. "Videl!" he cried in alarm. "What is it? Are you okay?"

She winced with the pain and took his hand to stand back up. "I…I don't know."

Gohan felt a distant echo of pain. With the knowledge of fighting for most of his life he knew where it came from. It had come from the outside. He gripped her as she screamed again in pain, nearly collapsing from the pain. He felt another echo, this time in his back, and that was where it was hurting Videl. "Damn! We've got to get out of here quickly, I'm killing you out there!"

"How do we do that?" she asked through clenched teeth.

"I don't know," he replied, as she writhed in more pain.

Then Videl suddenly became transparent. He began to panic as he started to lose his connection to her. "I…I think…" she said through the pain, "…my time's up."

"No!" he cried vehemently. "I can't lose you now!"

"I'm sorry, my love," she said as she became totally insubstantial and started fading away, "I'm sorry, I failed you. I love…"

Then she was gone.

Gohan screamed in rage and loss. Unseen chaos swirled around him, and evil laughter filled his ears. Darkness gripped him and the shackles returned. Like before, he fell through the darkness railing against the unseen forces that held him. He screamed her name as he fell, but all he heard was laughter…

Next chapter: Videl's back, and Vegeta's got a small problem on his hands. Oh, and someone's gonna die! See ya later!