A/N: The story starts three days after the final events of Last Hope for Earth.
Disclaimer: I do not own Dragonball Z or the characters/intellectual properties contained in the manga or anime. This story is not a challenge to the rightful holders of those properties. This is a work of fan fiction. The story and original characters are mine.
"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."
Vegeta explaining the Saiyan Bond to Videl in the Room of Spirit and Time
It had taken quite some time for his spirit to reform, but he was now whole again. No prison could contain him for long. But he had laid low, not wanting the attentions of the Celestial Bureaucracy breathing down his neck. He didn't know how much time had passed, but he still remembered. After reforming he traveled to a place that even the Celestial Bureaucracy did not know about. But he knew; he created it eons ago. The demi-plane was abstract concepts and emotions given form, but with a twist. Long-dead memories, unfulfilled desires, and uncompleted tasks walked the ground like men, ready to do their master's bidding. It was a simple task to hide the small realm from the prying eyes of the Celestial Bureaucracy since they trafficked in spirits and souls, not concepts given life of their own. He placed the plane close to the mortal realm so he wouldn't have to expend his precious energy to see what was going on and attract unwanted attention. It was a simple matter to look down and home in on whoever he wanted. He paid particular interest to the battle that had just occurred there on the world called Earth. He smiled, licking his sharp teeth in anticipation. He watched the whole thing with glee, reveling in the chaos and destruction. When the battle ended he saw an opportunity to seize upon. He was still a spirit with all their limitations and liabilities. He couldn't interact with the mortal realm. He needed a suitable vessel to contain his spirit and power and the young man would serve nicely. Once he destroyed the man's soul he would be easy to possess, and then the mortal realm would know the terror that the spirit realm knew and dreaded for so long!
Since his realm was populated by concepts he gathered forth several emotions of desire. He added several memories of loss and one of a failed marriage. He shaped the combined emotions into a vaguely humanoid form. The process took almost no time at all. Since the final form was just a combination of emotions it would have no difficulty entering the mortal realm due to the human's highly emotional states. It would also be extremely easy for the emotion-spirit to possess a human, and as long as it didn't direct any attention to itself it could operate indefinitely.
His work done, he sent the emotion-spirit out. Soon he would have a body, and then the fun would begin!
Three days passed since Gohan left, and that time was pure hell for Videl. She returned home the morning after he left, shivering cold and soaking wet. She told her father, Hercule Satan, everything, from the battles and the time she spent with Vegeta training in the Room of Spirit and Time. She told him of the final battle with Dalron and his defeat. She also told him about the bond and tried to explain it to him to the best of her ability. The whole time she spoke she threatened to burst into tears, but somehow she was able to fight them off. She tried to bring herself to tell him how much she loved Gohan, but the words got stuck in her throat. To his credit, Hercule listened to the fantastic story without interrupting her. He tried to console her, but she shrugged him off. She ran to her room and locked the door behind her. For three days she stayed there. She didn't eat, and she wouldn't speak, not even to her father. Hercule grew more worried as the days passed, and on the third day he arrived at a decision: he needed the help of her mentor, Vegeta. He didn't like the idea, but the thought of his daughter wasting away was the worst thing imaginable. He never liked those otherworlders, and was rightly afraid of their powers. But he tried everything to get her to come out and nothing worked. Vegeta he disliked the most; the proud warrior reminded him too much of himself taken to extremes. But he didn't have any other choice; hopefully Vegeta would be able to help his poor, suffering daughter. Now, if he could only convince the powerful warrior to help him. Hercule had no idea how to accomplish that.
Without any real plan, and with much foreboding, Hercule Satan left his home and took a cab to the Capsule Corp. headquarters. The trip didn't take long; he still had no idea how to convince Vegeta when he paid the fare and walked up to the house. He knocked twice, feeling a cold anxiousness rise in his stomach. A moment passed, and the door slid open. There stood Bulma Briefs, CEO of Capsule Corp. and wife of Vegeta.
"Why hello, Mr. Satan," she said smiling, "What brings you here today?"
"I...uh...er," he stuttered, "I have a problem that...uh...I need to talk to your husband about."
"Vegeta?" she asked incredulously.
Hercule nodded, rubbing his hands together nervously.
"Sure, he's in," she said with a quizzical expression. "Come on in."
Hercule bowed and walked in, "Thank you."
"No problem," she answered back, "I wanted to thank you for allowing us to stay at your place after the tournament."
"It was nothing," he said absent-mindedly.
"What's wrong," she asked, studying the worry on his face.
"It's..." he started, but he couldn't finish.
"It must be really important if you want to talk to my husband," she reasoned.
He gulped and nodded.
"Then follow me, I'll take you right to him."
"Thank you."
Bulma led Mr. Satan down to one of the lower levels in the building. Bulma created a gravity room for Vegeta there so he could train at home. Bulma watched Hercule out of the corner of her eye. He was a nervous wreck! What does he want with Vegeta?
Bulma stopped at a closed room and flipped a switch on the wall. The doors slid open, revealing a training room complete with training mats, weightlifting equipment and punching bags. In the center of the room was Vegeta in his trademark dark blue jumpsuit and tank top. He stood in a defensive stance. Across from him was the young boy, Trunks, in an offensive stance. A golden aura blazed around the young half-saiyan. The cold expression on both their faces made Hercule's blood run cold.
"Attack," Vegeta commanded.
Trunks did, leaping at his father with a scream. His fists shot out at the last second, aimed at his father's midsection. Vegeta sidestepped the attack, but Trunks turned in mid-air and brought his knees up to deflect Vegeta's kick. Trunks landed on one hand, pivoted with perfect balance, and leapt at his father again, this time with his legs outstretched. Vegeta ducked under the kick, but Trunks tagged him with his fists as he flew by. Vegeta wasted no time; he blurred to super speed and appeared in front of Trunks, who was still flying through the air. Trunks was caught unaware, and a resounding punch to Trunk's stomach ended the sparring session.
"You'll have to be quicker than that," Vegeta growled.
Trunks coughed a few times and nodded. He was slow in getting up. "Take a rest," Vegeta commanded, "We'll pick up right where we left off in an hour."
Trunks smiled, he would be looking forward to it!
Bulma cleared her throat, causing both Vegeta and Trunks to look in her direction. Mr. Satan stared aghast at the two of them. They were both so strong!
"What is it?" Vegeta asked.
"Mr. Satan is here; he wants to talk to you."
"About what?"
"I don't know," she shrugged, "but he says it's important."
"Very well."
Bulma stepped aside and nodded to Mr. Satan. He walked in slowly, feeling small in the presence of such might.
"What do you want," Vegeta asked irritably.
Hercule flinched involuntarily. "I...uh..." he stammered.
"Spit it out!" Vegeta barked, causing Hercule to jump.
That cold expression! Don't think about it, just tell him! "It's uh...well...you see..."
Vegeta sighed deeply.
"...it's Videl! GohanleftherandshetoldmeeverythingaboutthebondbutIdon'tunderstanditandthenshelockedherselfinherroomforthepastthreedaysandshewon'tcomeoutsocouldyoupleasetalktoher?"
Vegeta blinked once, then again. "Try again, slower this time."
Hercule took a breath and told him everything Videl told him. Vegeta pursed his lips in thought as Hercule finished.
"Will you talk to her, please?" Hercule pleaded, "I don't know what else to do!"
"That stupid baka," Vegeta said darkly. "What the hell does he think he's doing?"
"Huh?"
"Gohan! He's throwing his life away!" Vegeta clenched his fists in frustration.
"So you'll do it," Hercule asked, his eyes wide with hope.
"Why me?" he asked angrily, "You are her father."
"I tried," he replied honestly, "I really did! But she won't listen to me! I didn't have anyone to turn to. I remembered that you trained her so she might listen to you."
"What makes you think that," he spat.
Hercule threw his hands up in the air, "I don't know! It was the only thing I could think of! Please, help me! Help Videl!"
The stupid human is practically begging, Vegeta thought, how pathetic! Still, he is right to worry about Videl. Damnit! Why am I getting dragged into the middle of this? This is not my affair! Vegeta closed his eyes and crossed his arms across his chest. Shit! "Very well," he growled, "I'll talk to her."
Hercules eyes brightened. "You will? Oh, thank you, thank you!" He got on his hands and knees and gave praise to Vegeta.
"Stand up," Vegeta said in disgust. Hercule did. "Let's get this over with."
They walked out of Capsule Corp. and Vegeta extended his arm to Mr. Satan. Hercule looked at him confused.
"We'll get there quicker if I fly. Grab on."
Hercule did and they were off. The World's Martial Arts Champion didn't stop screaming until after they landed. Before they entered the house Vegeta raised a hand of caution.
"Even though you are her father you must not interfere. This is something that they will need to sort out for themselves, do you understand?"
"But," he protested, "She's my daughter! She needs me!"
Vegeta nodded, "Yes she does. But she also needs Gohan, just as he needs her."
"He left her," he said angrily. "Why should she care about him now? It's over."
"We'll see."
They entered the house and Hercule led Vegeta to Videl's room, then he backed off. Vegeta's heightened senses easily detected her presence. He stretched out with his ki. Suddenly he was awash in pain and despair. The emotions ran so deep that they threatened to overwhelm him. He severed the link and forced those emotions away. He turned to Hercule. "I will speak to her alone."
Hercule wanted to protest, but that same cold expression stared back at him, stifling his argument. He stomped downstairs and waited.
With that out of the way Vegeta turned back toward the door. "Videl?" he asked softly.
Nothing.
I'm not going to play these games! Suddenly his fist shot out and smashed the broad door into splinters. Videl jumped and yelped in surprise. That got a reaction, he thought as he walked into the room. Hercule was behind him in a second.
"What happened? What's the meaning of this?" he fumed.
"The door was stuck," Vegeta said darkly.
A cold shiver ran up Hercule's spine. He looked at Videl who looked just as scared as he did. Then he looked at Vegeta. His expression hadn't changed. It took all his willpower to back away. He had to trust Vegeta, which was no small feat for Hercule, but he relented.
After Mr. Satan left, Vegeta turned to Videl. She looked pathetic; her hair was a mess and she still wore the same clothes from the last time he saw her.
"What...what the hell are you doing here?" she asked angrily.
"I could ask you the same question," he replied.
"You have no right barging in like that! Go away! I don't want to talk to you." She turned away from him and buried her head in a large pillow. "Please," she whimpered, "Just leave me alone."
Vegeta truly felt sorry for her, but now was not the time for those sentiments. "I will not. Not until you do what you need to do," he said keeping his voice even.
"I don't need to do anything," she spat back, "He left me. That's it. It's over."
"It isn't and you know it. After everything you went through to get him back, this is how you act? You've come too far to quit now."
She turned to Vegeta with tears in her eyes. "I...I tried," she said shakily.
Vegeta said nothing, prompting her to continue.
She sniffed back the tears. "I begged to go with him. I pleaded. I tried to stop him, Vegeta, I swear! I tried to jog his memory but nothing worked! Then he left." She sniffed again, this time with minimal success.
"Why didn't you follow him?"
How could she explain it to him? She tried to go after him but her body felt so heavy. "I...I don't...know."
"So that's it then? You're giving up on him?"
"That's right!" she shot in rage. "He's gone and I don't care if he ever comes back! Fuck him!" She buried herself in the pillow again and began to sob.
"That's not the Videl I know," he said softly. "So what if he doesn't remember you. You remember him, and what he means to you. You can't let that go to waste."
"Fuck you," she cursed through the pillow.
"Go ahead," he goaded. "Try and move on; see how far that gets you. You can deny it all you want on the outside, but you can't lie to yourself. The bond is stronger than that."
She turned back to him. "I can't go through that again, Vegeta," she said in a small voice, her anger gone. "I just can't."
"You must," he answered. "Gohan may have lost his way, but his feelings for you are still there. He may not understand them, and he may try to deny them, but they are there. He needs you to remember."
"How?" she pleaded, "How can I do that?"
"You will have to find out for yourself," he answered. "But every journey begins with the first step. You need to make that step."
He could see how torn she was. Her love for him was as strong as ever, but self-doubt gnawed at her. "I...I don't know if I can do this."
For a split second Vegeta considered helping her to get on her way by throwing her out the window, but decided against it. "If you don't, you will regret it for the rest of your life. I would soon as kill you than let you waste away like that."
Videl knew that he wasn't bluffing. "Things have changed, Vegeta. I can feel it, the bond between me and Gohan. It's weaker and gets weaker by the day."
"Then you'd better hurry up and find him," he said with urgency.
"I can't feel him anymore," she said quietly, "It's like he's disappeared."
"Or he's hiding from you," he replied, "Maybe it is his way from keeping you from feeling the loss, I don't know."
"I don't know where to look," she said, "I have no idea where he is."
"It's Gohan," Vegeta said matter-of-factly, "when he uses his powers someone will report it. Extend your senses like I taught you and you should find him in no time. But you need to get going."
He could tell that she was still apprehensive. "Look," he said, "Go to Kakarot's house and talk to him. If your journey starts out with a step, I believe his house would be a good start. He had some...difficulties...that he needs to deal with as well. Perhaps the two of you can figure something out. But know this: only you can make things right, don't depend on the others to fight your battles. You must do this alone."
She nodded; every word he spoke bore through her like fire. She had underestimated Vegeta; he knew her better than she did. But that self-doubt wouldn't leave her alone. "What if..." she began, "...what if he won't come back to me?"
He stared at her silently for a long time. He closed his eyes before answering. "It's best not to dwell on such things," he answered. "Only you can bring him back. No one else has a chance; not even Chi-Chi or Kakarot. Remember the bond; it is stronger than you think, but can be fragile like a feather."
She didn't understand that last part and her puzzled expression told him so. He couldn't help but smile. Still I act as her sensei. "You will understand when the time comes, and more."
She shifted on the bed uncomfortably for a long time, still unsure of herself, but every word that Vegeta spoke rang true, strengthening her resolve. The pain and despair that was so plain on her face began to give way to purpose. Vegeta saw it too.
"When are you leaving?" he asked.
It took her a moment before responding. "I'll leave in the morning." Each word she spoke was stronger than the last, giving power to her resolve. "You're right, Vegeta. I have to do this!"
Vegeta nodded, a sense of pride welled up within him for her. "Good. But you don't need to thank me; you already knew what you need to do."
She nodded and allowed herself the tiniest of smiles. "You're right, I can't let my own self doubts get in the way. Thank you, Vegeta, for everything."
He nodded. "Good luck," he said, and he left her room. Videl watched him leave, feeling a bit better than she had in days. A sudden rush of excitement and anticipation overcame her, and she began packing.
Vegeta spoke a few words to Hercule, allaying his fears about Videl, and then he left. Hercule ran upstairs to see his daughter packing clothes in a backpack.
"Videl!" he bellowed happily.
"Dad," she said smiling.
He threw his arms wide and she ran up to him and they hugged. He saw the light in her eyes and knew that she was going after Gohan. He thought about telling her not to go, but Vegeta's words of non-interference blazed in his brain. He knew Vegeta was right. Videl was her own person, and his role was to support her in whatever decision she made for her own future. After their long hug he helped her pack and had his cooks make her favorite meals for dinner. He did what he could to make her ready for her trip. After dinner she kissed him goodnight and she went to sleep. Hercule stayed up for a while, watching his daughter sleep. He didn't even mind that the door to her room was no more. Vegeta had done his part in helping him get his daughter back, even though she would be gone in the morning. You know, he thought to himself, that Vegeta guy isn't so bad after all. Wait a minute! Did I just think that? He shook his head to clear his thoughts. He was tired, he reasoned. That could be the only possible explanation for his strange thoughts. He went to bed.
When he woke up the next morning Videl was already gone, beginning her search for her love, Gohan. He wished her all the luck in the world.
A/N: Here's the start of the promised sequel to Last Hope for Earth. More twists are in store for our hero and heroine. I hope you like it! Enjoy!
