Spinach Wastes, Earth; 1 AM
Videl stood in the middle of the wastelands, her entire body covered in sweat. She wasn't in her usual gi but instead, a form fitting top and biker shorts, with relatively simple boots. She wasn't officially training with Piccolo tonight, and so opted for something other than just standard gi. Besides, it was rather warm for the early morning. Around her body, a brilliant white and blue aura was beginning to dissipate, and she fell to her knees.
Sensation nearly overwhelmed her, and it took all her will to not black out. The grass felt like relief — the fact that she could feel it at all — and she gulped in vast lungfuls of air as if she'd been suffocating. Her body was ragged, and she felt completely exhausted. In spite of all of this, she was smiling. It was shaky, and she was trembling, but regardless, she couldn't help but smile.
"I'm coming close to it," she thought to herself. "To my own original technique! That last time was close to a success, I know it!" Forcing herself to stand, she clenched her fists to her side, focusing her ki. "Again!"Her aura, white and blue, flared up again, and her body was immersed in this brilliant glow. This was going to be the beginning — the beginning of her new fighting technique
Among the rocks, Piccolo was watching Videl's self-training with a look of pride. "She's not only got talent, but initiative as well. To think she'd learn to manipulate her kilike that...if she masters this technique, she might become worth something after all."
Satan City, Earth, Erasa's Home; 7:00 AM
It was strange, returning fully to an old life after such a grandiose adventure. If it could be even called an adventure, but regardless, it had been a life changing experience. This had been Erasa's train of thought as she waved good-bye to her father, and went up to the roof of their apartment complex. It was an overcast morning, and it hadn't been long since the events with Majin Bū, and yet, life returned to normal.
"It's time for school again," she said to herself. All she was waiting on now was Gohan. Leaning on the balcony, she looked down at the street. It was by no means an early morning, and thus the streets had their hovercraft and passersby moving about, heading to their jobs or to their schools. So, to Erasa, this scene wouldn't have looked anything like anything out of the ordinary, until she saw Videl running by. Gripping the railing, she waved earnestly down to the street.
"Videl! Mornin'!"
The ebony haired girl was moving at as brisk a pace as she could, dressed in jeans, a black shirt with a bright white stripe, and sneakers. Her Orange Star High School badge was worn at her breast, and she was wearing a white headband on her forehead. Her clothes, however, looked as if they were recently damp, and Videl herself looked slightly haggard. Blinking concernedly, Erasa called down. "Videl! What happened to you?!"
Videl had come to a stop, and looked up at Erasa, still jogging in place. Her eyes had the worn look of someone who had seen many years. Stifling a yawn, she replied, "Oh, Erasa! Nothing happened! Just Sensei's training! I'm doing fine!"
"You look half-dead!"
"Well, I managed to score a sneak attack...so he doubled my training regimen. And I have to run to school."
"That doesn't seem so bad," replied Erasa.
"From Yunzabit Heights."
"THAT'S ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE PLANET, IS HE MAD!?"
Absentmindedly, Videl began to jog off again. "See you at school," she called back airily.
Erasa watched her friend run off, and to her horror, Videl had run right into the street. A car was rushing down the road, and Erasa knew it was going to collide with Videl; before she could so much as call out a warning, the ebony-haired girl leapt into the air, avoiding the speeding vehicle entirely. Landing neatly onto the sidewalk, she proceeded to continue running as if nothing had happened.
"S-She's got good reflexes, but is she going to make it in one piece?"
The blonde tried to abate her worries by focusing on the morning sky, looking for Gohan. Sure enough, he was flying through the sky, sitting leisurely on the back of Kint'oun. A wave of nostalgia washed over Erasa; it was so many months ago that they'd actually flown to school atop Kinto'un, and to be honest, it was both familiar and strange. Normalcy — or such as it is —was returning to them.
The cloud descended above the roof of Erasa's apartment complex, and she clambered aboard, forgoing flight in this one moment. Embracing Gohan easily, she smiled. It was a casual exchange of a morning greeting, followed by a kiss, and the Kinto'un set off on the way towards the Orange Star High.
"So does it feel strange?" asked Erasa, and Gohan turned to look at her confused.
"That's a pretty broad question."
"You know what I meant!" She said, gesturing to their casual attire and the city below. "Everything is just so...normal again. We just came off of a date, the planet's cities are restored, no one remembers a thing, and barring our six month absence, we're flying off to school like we'd only just been away for a weekend!"
Gohan chuckled, scratching his cheek. "To be honest, it's the kind of thing you get used to with my family and friends; once the chaos is done, we've learned to pick up the pieces of our lives pretty well. In fact, the only thing that feels strange is this uniform."
"Picking up the pieces, hm?" Erasa mumbled. "I suppose I'm the one that needs to adjust."
"Not by much," replied Gohan smoothly. "You're handling this a lot better than most people would, believe me."
"I suppose you're right!"
As they traveled across the city, a familiar sound was picked up by Gohan's ears. The rattling and explosion of gunfire. It was coming from the direction of the Satan Memorial Museum. "Kinto'un! That way!" Gohan motioned for the flying cloud to turn, and light to the touch, it heeded, turning towards the brick structure. The building was fairly large, and only recently constructed — with red bricks and a steel framing, the entrance was draped with two massive statues of Mr. Satan himself.
And outside was a miniature warzone. It was a scene all too familiar to Gohan; a shoot-out between the police and armed thugs, all too intent on stealing whatever was being kept in the museum and running off with it for profit.
"Stand your ground, men!" One of the officers shouted, ducking out from behind a squad hovercraft to launch fire on the armed robbers. When his shot missed, he ducked back behind the vehicle just as the thugs returned in kind.
"The crime in this city never stops, does it?" Gohan growled. "I'm honestly surprised it's intact after we weren't here for six months..."
"It's sad," muttered Erasa. "The Dragon went out of his way to fix everything after the fiasco with Majin Bū, and these criminals are just messing it all up again!"
One of the thugs, a massively built man with shaggy hair and a pointed beard stepped up. He was dressed in a kevlar vest, ripped jeans, and fingerless gloves. "If you don't just stand aside, we're gonna blow you all away with this baby!" Pulling to the front was something that made the policeman gasp in shock — a portable rocket launcher. Hoisting it over his shoulder, he grinned. "I don't mind splatterin' a bit of blood so long as it doesn't get on the goods, y'know?!"
Gohan's eyes widened, and he stood up on top of the Kinto'un.
"Hasta la vista, baby!" shouted the gargantuan man, firing the portable rocket launcher from atop his shoulder. He withstood the recoil easily, and one of the massive shells was let loose, barreling towards the terrified policemen and the Museum itself. But it never made it towards its intended target. There was a flash of gold, and the shell was stopped; the progress completely halted by a pale hand.
Standing between the policeman and the thugs was a boy with pale golden hair, a school uniform, and an angry expression on his face.
"It's—!"
"It's him!"
"The Golden Warrior!"
The policemen and thugs were shouting in unison, either in elation or terror, at the arrival of Satan City's legendary superhero. Gohan clenched the shell and tossed it into the air, releasing a powerful shockwave that causes it to explode high in the air, detonating harmlessly away from the police.
"Say what you will, he knows how to make an entrance," Erasa mused, eyeing her sweetheart with admiration. "I suppose I could join in the fun."
Within seconds, Gohan closed in on the ringleader, placing a palm to the man's chest. With a simple wrist movement, Gohan sent a shockwave reverberating throughout his body. It wasn't enough to kill, but it still caused internal damage to a light degree; more than an Earthling could take, but only enough to render him unconscious. The large man fell to the ground without protest, and his lackeys began to turn and run.
However, their escape attempt was short lived. Standing behind the group was a woman with flaming red hair, narrow black eyes, and orbs that floated in a halo formation.
"W-What's this!?"
"An ally of the Golden Warrior?!"
Erasa flashed a smile, and thrust her arm in a forward stroke at a downward angle. A massive shockwave was released, pushing each thug down to the ground through the sheer force, cracking concrete with relative ease.
As quickly as the two had arrived, they left, floating into the air with only a curt nod towards the officers, and vanishing at speeds that the normal eye couldn't track.
"What...are they?" One of the officers stared blankly at where the two had vanished.
Orange Star High School, Rooftop
"I'm surprised," said Gohan mildly as the couple touched down onto the roof, lucky that no one was present. "You showed a lot of restraint when attacking those thugs; you're controlling your power fantastically!"
Erasa chuckled, scratching the back of her head. "As much as I'd love to claim some credit, I'm actually not." She told him about how, at the house, she'd broken off her own door handle, accidentally shattered some glasses, and broken several plates. "That's why I didn't touch those guys," she added sheepishly. "I was afraid I'd actually kill them, so I just settled for using wind pressure."
Gohan's eyes widened. "I didn't know it was still so hard for you to control your strength," he said, apologising. "We'll work on strength control as part of your training. You lack a lot of muscle definition, so most of your strength is just how your ki is activating your body."
"That's great," replied the girl enthusiastically. "By the way, Gohan, how did you knock out that bulky guy?"
"Oh that? I suppose you'd call it a palm strike, though it's just a little more intricate than that. By placing my palm onto the target's chest, and with a quick wrist movement, release an explosive burst of power. The burst sends a powerful shockwave through the target that damages them internally." Scratching his head, he added. "Piccolo showed me this technique years ago; it's meant to completely rupture the target. He called it the 'Madōda'. However, I can't exactly do that to an Earthling, so I dialed back 98% of the power. He won't be moving for a week, though."
Erasa was left stunned. "That's amazing. Kind of brutal though..."
"Brutal about sums up Piccolo's training," said Gohan as they walked down from the roof to the upper floor's locker rooms. "I only survived because I'm half-Saiyan. Can't say I favor the odds of anyone else who trains with him?"
"You think so?" came a bitter voice from behind the two of them as they fiddled with their lockers. Videl was standing next to them, looking considerably more alive than she had been when Erasa had seen her. Her clothes were dryer, headband intact, and she gripped a cup in her hands. Her piercing blue-eyes stared daggers at Gohan. "I'll have you know I'm training with Piccolo, and I'm going to survive his training and then some!"
"What?! You're training with Piccolo?!" Gohan exclaimed, causing the student body who were present this early in the morning to look over in his direction with a mixture of bewilderment and annoyance. Gohan caught onto their glares, and quickly repeated the same question in a lower tone.
"Damn right I am," replied Videl, taking a swig of the drink within her cup — coffee from the cafeteria — and sighing. "I'm gonna overtake you both, just you watch; and I won't need some weird magical water to get it done, either!"
"Training with Piccolo, she just might," thought Gohan.
"By the way," Videl added before Gohan and Erasa could contribute more to this line of discussion. She held up her phone, which was already on the homepage of a news website. The headline made Gohan and Erasa step back in shock.
THE GOLDEN WARRIOR MAKES A STUNNING REAPPEARANCE
Early this morning, during the attempted robbery
of the Satan Memorial Museum,the Golden Warrior
reappeared for the first time in months!
A new crime-fighter also made herself
known! The Crimson Rose (name pending)
arrived and handily defeated the entire
squadron on her own, leaving the Golden Warrior
to take out the leader! What a day! What a time to be alive!
The website article continued, speculating as to who the Golden Fighter and Crimson Rose could be, suggesting everyone from Bulma of Capsule Corporation to the homeless man who lived in the alleys of Satan City. Gohan occasionally jumped when the individual who wrote the article mentioned that the two were wearing Orange Star High School badges; he kept forgetting to remove that while fighting crime.
"You two might want to work on doing this incognito," Videl said pointedly. "The last thing we need is someone coming in and investigating every student in the school because of your superhero shenanigans."
As Videl sauntered off, Erasa exhaled, and kept her voice low. "She's right, you know. I want to help you if it comes to crime fighting, but we should keep a lower profile."
"Yeah, I agree," replied Gohan. He hadn't expected news to travel so fast, it hadn't even been an hour.
As the two settled into their class, they took their usual seats — quite surprised to see that they hadn't been taken — and Erasa made sure to sit down as gingerly as she could. Videl was down by the podium, speaking to the teacher. It was low, but the two could see she was pointing to the headband on her head, so it was clear she was explaining, or at least making up an excuse, as to why she needed the wreath around her head.
Gohan and Erasa, however, knew better.
"I suppose it hasn't gone away," muttered Erasa.
"Looks like it hasn't," replied Gohan, realising this meant Piccolo's mark was still present as well. "I guess Babidi would have meant for it to be long-lasting."
"What's long lasting?" A familiar voice pulled up a seat next to them. Sharpener, his blonde hair tied into a ponytail, wearing a white tank top and blue jeans. Leaning back in his chair, he grinned at the two. "Gohan, Erasa, long time no see. I was starting to think you two eloped and ran off."
"Hey Sharpener," Erasa greeted him cheerfully, followed after by Gohan. "It wasn't anything important, Gohan and I were just talking about something. Boring stuff, really."
"Boring, hm?" Sharpener's eyes narrowed. "Not the intense way you two were whispering, but I won't pry. It's too early in the morning for an interrogation."
Videl joined shortly after, and the original foursome was reunited as class began. Sharpener began to talk about the Golden Warrior and the Crimson Rose, but given that three of the four present knew who the 'superheroes' were, discussing their secret identities was only fun for Sharpener. Class had started, and their voices went low, as Sharpener turned the talk to the Tenkachi Budōkai.
"I mean, I went to see it, but weirdly, it's pretty hazy," the blonde teenager admitted. "I feel like I'm forgetting a huge portion of that day, and the days after it. Some other folks say the same thing, but no one's bothering to look into it. Strange, isn't it?"
"Y-Yeah," chuckled Erasa, snapping a pencil without knowing. "Strange."
"Very," Videl added, as if trying to prod the situation, casting a glance at the other two.
Gohan leaned towards Erasa, who had beckoned him over. "I thought Shénlóng erased their memories," she whispered. "He still seems to know that somethinghappened."
"It looks more like Shénlóng just covered them up," replied Gohan under his breath. "Strange, but it does the same thing."
"So, I know this is an early question, but are you deciding on your future yet?" Sharpener spun the question around at his three classmates.
Erasa looked taken aback, and even Videl was surprised. "We're only seventeen," Videl waved it off. "Don't you think it's a bit early to be considering life ambitions?"
"Not at all," replied Sharpener, uncharacteristically serious. "I'm considering trying out as a baseball player; I've found that I actually enjoy it. I was mulling over the idea of boxing, but a sport that isn't constantly risking my head sounds more my speed, don't you think?"
"I'm sure you'd see some serious fights if you'd gone in," replied Videl dryly. "I have no idea, really, but if we're gonna run with this train of thought, what about the two lovebirds?"
"Us?!" Erasa pointed at herself. "Um...Gohan, you go first!"
"I'd have thought I was obvious," shrugged Gohan. "I'm still going to become a scholar. I've been on this road for so long, it wouldn't make sense to abandon it entirely. I'm already looking into an internship up in the Northern Capital; one of the professors there is interested. My thesis...it'll be quite interesting, to say the least." Gohan had been considering what his first line of research was going to be, and it would take quite a bit of convincing.
"A bookworm to the end?" came Videl's dry wit, though Sharpener vocalised his support, thinking it would suit Gohan well. The ball was now finally in Erasa's court.
"If...well, if I had to choose right now?" She frowned, scratching the side of her cheek gently. "I think I want to become a martial arts instructor, and open my own dōjō. After studying martial arts with Gohan for these six months, and learning everything I have...I want to open up that world to other people. And give as many people as I can the chance to become stronger and redefine their own self-worth." She trailed off, but her smile didn't fade.
Gohan's smile became, if anything, brighter. "I think that's a fantastic idea."
This was encouragement that Erasa needed, and her shyness vanished when Gohan professed support for her dream. Before she could ask why, however, a piece of chalk was hurled in their direction, and the entire group looked towards a stern professor.
"If you four would please be quiet, we can continue the lesson. Keep talking and the four of you can continue the conversation standing in the hallway!"
The foursome was silent for the remainder of class.
The rest of the school day had passed uneventfully, with only the occasional superhuman feat from Erasa, Gohan, or Videl to add spice to the day — P.E. was going to become a troublesome class indeed. As the end of school came around, and the students had collected their things, Erasa and Gohan bid farewell to Sharpener and Videl, making their excuses to part with the other two.
They took off from the school's rooftop in the same way they'd arrived, and flew out of Satan City, and away from civilised people in general — with their flight pattern, they were headed off towards the Kori Forest. The couple touched down easily, having flown quickly but in relative silence, and Erasa decided to continue their train of discussion from earlier in class.
"You said earlier that you were for my dream to start a dōjō, Gohan?" She asked, taking a moment to enjoy the scenery as they spoke. This sort of place could only exist because they'd worked so hard to defeat Majin Bū, so the sheer beauty of this forest wasn't lost on her. She'd keep protecting this planet. "Why were you so quick to support a reckless dream like that?"
Gohan had taken a stance, raising his left arm behind him, and his right arm to his fore. Bending at the knees, his legs spread as his black shoes slid against the grass. "It's not too difficult, to be honest; I'm going to support you in endeavors like that." His face turned pinkish, and he smiled. "It's your dream, so I don't see why I would try to convince you otherwise; if that's what you want to do, then I'll be with you the entire way."
"G-Gohan..." The blood warmed Erasa's own cheeks, and she was smiling like a child. It was such a honest way of putting it, but Gohan sounded so sincere, her heart starting beating rapidly.
"Besides," Gohan continued, and his expression turned serious. His hands, which had the fingers clenched, flattened, and his palms were facing the air. Sliding along the grass, he moved his arms in a circular motion, his palms treading the air as if through water. "The Earth isn't a strong planet. And if we can do something to make the Earthlings stronger — bit by bit — so they can defend themselves, then I think we should. Dad and Vegeta are dead, and I'm not immortal; I won't always be here either. Everyone will have to take care of themselves eventually."
"And my dōjō could help with that?"
"It could," replied Gohan. "But I also heard from Muten Rōshi that Tenshinhan is beginning to teach students as well."
"T-Tenshinhan?!" Erasa gasped.
"Looks like he drunk the Chōshinsui, like you did," Gohan supplied, thrusting his fists forward with a powerful spinning punch. A shock wave rushed through the forest, stopping just short of the nearest tree; the bark chipped, but the tree did not fall. Perfectly controlled strength. "And like us, he survived. Now, he wants to take on students; I think Muten Rōshi said he's calling it the "New Crane School"."
"That's amazing!"
"Goten and Trunks have been sneaking off to train with Piccolo, and even Videl has gone to him for training," Gohan stood back up to full height, and he and Erasa walked over to sit down by a large tree. Leaning against the thick trunk, Gohan placed a hand on his knee. Erasa leaned on his shoulder, resting against it as her fiancé continued. "And you and I can only double our efforts in training — but I also need to buckle down for my research."
"It looks like there's more of a storm blowing than I'd have thought," replied the blonde girl.
"I'm honestly excited," replied Gohan. "It's not hard to remember that I'm a Saiyan too, but I've never enjoyed the life or death battles that Dad and Vegeta staked the fate of the world on. However, the idea of strong fighters gathering; the potential Goten, Trunks, and Videl have...my Saiyan blood starts to race. The idea of a match against new and powerful opponents — it isn't the same feeling, but this is just like you, isn't it Dad?"
Erasa placed a hand on his shoulder, and Gohan reached for it. The larger hand and smaller hand held each other in this moment, and the hushed tranquility of the forest surrounded the couple. A gentle breeze wafted through the canopy, and animals moved throughout the wood, but the two themselves remained undisturbed. Erasa brought her free hand to Gohan's face, gently pulling it to face her.
"Thank you," she said softly. "I know it's only been six months, and we have the rest of our lives ahead of us — but thank you, Gohan, for loving me. I never expected that meeting you seven years ago would change my whole world this way."
"I've come to learn that chance meetings can have far-reaching effects later," Gohan replied, moving his own hand to Erasa's face, a gentle touch from a rough hand. "It's a bit embarrassing for you to thank me though. You're amazing, and you've changed my world too; I didn't expect to find...well, this—" he couldn't find another way to say it, and so he pulled her face towards his. Their lips met; a kiss that started out small, but the passionate and intensity grew. Erasa reciprocated, elated to be an equal partner in these kisses; it continued for a full minute, before the two broke away. A trail of saliva spread between them, and Erasa smiled.
"You've made me happy in ways I couldn't ever have come to expect—" continued Gohan, but Erasa placed a finger to his lips.
"Gohan. We're alone. I don't think we need to stop here."
The half-Saiyan wasn't one for initiative, and Erasa knew the setting wasn't perfect, but she pulled him back into her embrace. Six months was a long time, but he was her fiancé now — it was time to move on to the next step.
A/N: Chapter 56 is finally here. Didn't take that long, even with chapter 55 being that really short little thing that I just had to get out to you folk. So, here it is; an actual chapter. And I like it. This has been my favorite chapter for awhile, even though this took about 22 days to put up. It's been awhile since we've seen Gohan and co. at school, and I tried not to stay there for too long, but yeah, they do still have this school thing going on.
So, to explain some puns away, the "Madōda" is "魔胴打, Demon Body Blow". This chapter, especially the ending, which, yes, is the segue to their first time, made me a bit nervous, so I actually had three people read this chapter beforehand; Demod20, Firegod00, and JacobKingston10. With their approval, this chapter shall now be posted for your viewing pleasure!
I'll see you all in the next exciting chapter of the Erased Chronicles!