Hey, everyone, thanks for all the considerate and sweet reviews! You have no idea how much they mean to me, and, as a present, here's a really fast update! :D But please, guys, may you please review if you've favorited or followed my story? I would really appreciate it if you did, and I thank the couple of you that did that for the last chapter, it means a lot to me, and I cherish each and every one of the reviews that you drop me for this story. Reviews tell me how I'm doing and how I can possibly improve to become a better writer, because I really want to become an actual published author someday :D. Anywho, that's all I wanted to say. I think there's only one more chapter left of the Buu saga after this one, and then we get into the fun stuff! Oh, I have so many plans…XD
And just thought that I should mention that a lovely reviewer named SierraLarson actually gave me an idea of what to do in this chapter, but I won't say anything currently and let you read. And thank you, SierraLarson, for the idea! You know what it is! :)
Well, hope you enjoy!
Disclaimer: Don't own it.
So many things had happened in such a short period of time that Videl was, in all honesty, simply quite lost and confused.
As she had been heading back to the Tournament, she had run into Goten and Trunks, and, when asked what was going on, she had told them everything that Kibito had told her and Gohan. Instead of reacting in fear, as one would expect, they seemed excited, and instantly honed in on Gohan's ki and began to fly after him, despite Videl's protests. Letting out a sigh of aggravation, she had continued on her way, since the boys were much too fast for her to follow, and she also had a feeling that they would be fine, based on the match that she had seen between them earlier.
Eventually, she had reached the others back at the stadium, where everyone seemed very shaken up about something that had happened—Videl caught sight of the actual Bulma Briefs, but she wasn't acting as she had believed that someone like her should be; Bulma had been gripping the railing tightly, her sky-blue eyes wide with disbelief as she stared at the stadium, shocked, while the man behind her, who Videl recognized as Yamcha, the pro baseball player, tried to somehow comfort her. She looked down at the ring and the area around it, and had seen that there were parts of the seats that had seemed to have been simply blasted away. Shocked, she had spoken to the only person that she knew slightly—Chi-Chi had quickly informed Videl of what had happened before she had shown up, and Videl listened attentively. Then, she had told the others what she had learned from Kibito, and they all listened to her in turn.
Then, one of them came up with the suggestion of gathering the Dragon Balls (Chi-Chi explained this concept to a very skeptical Videl, who didn't believe that there was such a thing as seven magical balls granting wishes but didn't question things now), and it seemed as if this broke the odd state that Bulma had been in. She shook her head, running her hand through her aqua/blue hair, nodding.
They had then gathered all seven of the Dragon Balls, the process easily sped up because of the Dragon Radar that Bulma had invented. On their way to collect one of the Dragon Balls, however, Bulma had suddenly gasped, bringing a hand to her heart in shock, her blue eyes widening suddenly. When asked what was wrong by Yamcha, she had quickly shrugged it off as nothing, but she looked out the window once more. What had that terrible, foreboding feeling been, the feeling of agony that gripped her heart suddenly? All she knew was that something happened…something that involved Vegeta…but what? The horrible feeling within her heart did not bode well, and brought fears that she would rather not imagine to her mind.
After they had gathered the last Dragon Ball, they had all headed back to Capsule Corporation. Then, the Eternal Dragon, Shenron, was summoned from the Dragon Balls, and Videl could only look in awe at the magical creature. Holy crap, it was huge, and it spoke in a booming voice that seemed to shake the very Earth, illuminated even more brightly because the sky had suddenly gone dark when it was summoned. Bulma had pondered on what to wish for, and Yamcha finally ended up wishing for everyone who had died today to come back to life.
Barely a few seconds after that wish had been granted, Goku suddenly appeared before them, scaring Videl half to death from his sudden appearance. Hastily, he had said something that had made the dragon disappear and the Dragon Balls fly away in different directions. When asked what was going on, Goku didn't reply, and simply told everyone to group together so that he could teleport them to the Lookout.
Teleporting was the weirdest feeling. It was almost as if she was there, and then suddenly, her body felt like it dematerialized and then suddenly rematerialized in a beautiful, small, circular area, with a perfectly white tiled floor, polished to a shine, and a lovely setting of plants that led up to something that seemed like a palace—this must've been the "Lookout" or whatever the hell it was called.
Goku had then begun to talk, but Videl hadn't been listening, all of the shock of the past few hours finally catching up with her. Learning about Majin Buu, and then learning about magical balls that summed a huge-ass dragon that granted wishes, and everything in between had Videl slightly frazzled and bewildered.
"Yes, that's all very nice, Goku," Chi-Chi suddenly interrupted her dead husband—it seemed that she was slightly preoccupied with something, looking around. "Now, where did you say Goten and Gohan are?" She had been half-listening to what Goku had been saying, her pale features searching for her sons all around the Lookout, hoping to catch sight of one of her children.
"And where's my Trunks…and Vegeta?" Bulma also asked, looking at her lifelong friend for a brief moment before she resumed her search for her boys.
Videl saw Krillin have a weird reaction to their questions—he was holding his daughter, Marron in his arms, and his face suddenly became panicked as he held onto his little girl even tighter. Marron looked at her daddy with confused brown eyes, and Eighteen was also slightly wondering what would have her husband so panicked and nervous as she looked at Goku, along with everyone else.
"Goku, where are my sons?" Chi-Chi repeated, looking straight into Goku's black eyes with her own dark brown ones, looking directly at her husband. There was no trace of the grin that always seemed to linger on his face; his expression was grave, serious, and it was an expression that Videl did not like at all.
After gentle encouragement from Krillin, Goku took a deep breath, before he began to speak, his voice holding no hints of joking around or jovialness that always somehow managed to work its way into his voice, his tone deadly serious. "What I have to tell you…isn't easy for me to say," he began, making eye contact with everyone on the Lookout unflinchingly. It seemed as if he had to steady himself, before he continued, his voice still strong, unwavering, and grave. "Goten and Trunks are both going to be perfectly fine. But…Gohan and Vegeta…are dead."
Shock. It was the only emotion that would register at the moment; Videl let out a small cry that she hadn't meant to escape from her mouth, and Bulma and Chi-Chi both gasped in pure horror, all three of the women seemingly rendered speechless.
"Majin Buu…destroyed them both," Goku finished, his tone holding true regret in it as he averted his gaze from them, looking at the floor.
Videl suddenly seemed to regain her voice, and instantly, she retorted with denial, because Gohan was the strongest person that she knew and he couldn't be dead he just couldn't it was completely impossible for him to be dead— "No, Gohan, he can't be…he just can't!" she choked out, unable to believe that he was…that he was…
"You look really pretty when you smile."
His voice seemed to suddenly echo in her ears, those words that he had spoken to her the second day that she had been learning how to fly, the comment that he made when she had smiled genuinely at him. It was almost as if he was there, saying those words in her ear, while she vehemently refused to believe what Goku had just said.
Chi-Chi couldn't believe that her precious, firstborn baby boy was dead, that her son was gone. The agony that she felt was like nothing that she had ever experienced before, for she had never truly lost a child before, and she couldn't take it—she fainted from the pure shock and horror, and her father managed to catch her before she hit the hard tiles, yelling out her name and cradling her in his large arms.
Bulma's beautiful blue eyes began to well up with tears ad Goku's words began to set in. Her husband, her lover, her friend, her proud, stubborn, arrogant, cocky, and determined Saiyan prince…was dead. Gone. She would never be able to lay eyes on his handsome, stoic features once again, never be able to discern the emotions that flickered in the depths of his bottomless onyx eyes…he was gone.
"Vegeta…" she whispered, her voice breaking as she bit her trembling lip, her tears beginning to fall from her eyes, unable to hold them back any longer. But it was nearly impossible to believe that he, the survivor, the one who managed to pull through everything had somehow…
Agony suddenly ripped through her being, and the pain and hurt suddenly hit her with such force that it seemed as if she couldn't breathe for a moment, lungs compressing and heart seeming to stop for a second; then, Bulma was unable to contain it anymore, and screamed.
"NOOOOOOOOOOO! VEGETA!" she cried out in anguish, throwing her head back as vicious sobs wracked her body, tears flowing freely down her cheeks from her pain, her knees just about giving out. Before she could collapse on the floor, however, she felt a pair of strong, slightly calloused hands grip her by the upper arms, holding her steady while she sobbed uncontrollably. Vainly, she struggled to get out of the person's grip, screaming and shrieking like an untamed beast as the tears poured relentlessly down her face, not withholding any of her emotion because it hurt so much—
"Bulma, you've gotta pull yourself together," the familiar voice of Yamcha said behind Bulma, his voice gentle, not trying to be cruel. However, it was the wrong choice of words, the wrong thing to say at the moment as Bulma's sobs escalated so much that she could barely breathe. He didn't understand, he would never possibly understand the pure, undiluted agony that she was feeling at the moment, because her soul mate, her true love, her Vegeta was somehow dead. She struggled to get out of her ex-boyfriend's grip, sobs and cries of heartbreak escaping from her petite form, gasping for breath as she tried to somehow claw herself away from him because he didn't understand and he would only make it worse and Vegeta would somehow know how to make it better—but he wouldn't be able to do that anymore because he was dead—she wasn't sure if she'd ever see him again—and it seemed as if her heart and her life were suddenly shattered into a million pieces, because Vegeta wasn't there anymore—and she might not ever see him again even when she died—
Another scream tore from her throat, and the single word that she uttered seemed to contain all of the sadness and grief of a lifetime; the scream that only comes from the anguish of losing the one that you truly loved in your life; the shriek of simply pure, untainted grief and agony at losing your soul mate; the scream of denial that the unbelievable has just happened, that your life has just been seemingly destroyed, holding all of the sadness and anguish of the world in one syllable, one single cry of pure misery, of agony:
"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!"
Videl's own shock seemed to somehow numb her to her surroundings—Bulma's wails of anguish at times seemed to be muffled out, and other times they were just as piercing as they were in reality. She had seen Yamcha try to comfort his former girlfriend, had heard the anguish in Bulma's voice, had seen the pure flash of grief that had flashed across Chi-Chi's face before she had collapsed from shock and pure agony, but it was all slightly distant, as if it was happening in another lifetime, or as if it was someone else's experience and she was simply in their body for the time being.
All Videl could see at the moment was Gohan, at times only hearing his voice, the gentle, soft voice somehow sometimes drowning out the screams of agony coming from the completely heartbroken blue-haired woman.
"Don't you trust me?"
A feeling of pure, cold dread gripped her heart. What if it was true? What if Goku was speaking the truth, and Gohan really was…somehow…gone? But…but…he couldn't be! He just…he couldn't! He seemed to be the only person in the world who she could really open up to besides Erasa, the only one who she truly trusted with all of her heart, knowing that he would keep secrets, that he would keep her safe and not allow harm to come to her if he had anything to say about it…
"Cross my heart. I promise that I'll come back for you, Videl."
He'd promised that he'd come back to her, and Gohan didn't break promises. He was honorable like that, the type of person that one could put their full trust in, and she absolutely refused to believe that he'd just said meaningless words to her, because he'd meant it, she knew it. He'd promised.
But…hadn't someone once said that promises were only made to be broken?
No. No, he didn't break his promises, because Gohan wasn't like that. He was sweet, he was smart, he was funny, he was caring, he was gentle and yet strong at the same time, he was sometimes completely clueless on how to deal with his peers, he was Gohan, and he did not break promises.
"You have a lot of traits that are just for you that people would like. I mean, you're strong, you're brave, you're pretty, you're independent, you're confident, you don't give up, you're talented, and you're…special, individual in your own way. There's never gonna be another person like you, ever."
It was almost as if Gohan was speaking those words then and there, as if he was right next to her and gently talking to her, his warm, gentle voice seeming to caress over her frazzled nerves, because he always managed to somehow calm her down. He was one of the only people she knew who would compliment her so…honestly like that, without the slightest trace of embarrassment until after he'd spoken the words. He had listened to her, had seemed to understand her even more than anyone else had ever before, had been the first person to reach her after Spopovich had dropped her out of the ring, had been the one who picked her up in his arms and carried her to the hospital, had stood by her bedside, holding her hand as he gently fed her his ki to take away some of her pain, had postponed his match just so that he could give her that special bean that healed her instantly, had promised that he'd come back for her…
He was the strongest person that she had ever met…and he was dead? She felt an odd prickling near her eyes, feeling heat and moisture beginning to gather in them unintentionally as the shock gave way to the pure horror of the situation. Goku's serious face showed that he wasn't joking; the grief in his ebony eyes was far too real to not have been telling the truth.
Her eyes continued to burn with her unshed tears, but she forced them back because no, she wouldn't cry because Gohan just…he couldn't be dead…he couldn't, he wasn't…he…
"Your eyes sparkle when you smile, did you know that?"
And that was what did it, and suddenly, the fact that Gohan was dead hit her like a sharp slap to the face, and she suddenly seemed to feel a burning agony within her chest, as if her heart had suddenly been torn to ribbons. Silent tears had begun to make their way down her cheeks, having escaped from her eyes, as she realized that he was gone. But it seemed impossible…but, nevertheless, it was true.
"How…can this be?" she croaked out, the pain so intense that it felt as if she was unable to function for a moment, the mere act of getting breath into her lungs seeming to be a task that was too hard for her body for a second, her heart struggling to beat. "I…" She trailed off, and then suddenly realized with a fresh burst of raw grief the true depth of her feelings for Gohan that suddenly seemed to be so obvious now. The young man who was kind, gentle, strong, honest…why hadn't she noticed it until now? How had she not realized this, not understood the painfully obvious? Why didn't she tell him before?
"I…I love him…" she whispered, her voice suddenly breaking. His name left her lips in a tear-filled, anguished whisper, her voice hoarse with her tears as she realized just too late that she had loved the boy, regretting the fact that she hadn't had the chance to tell him, that they hadn't been given time. "Gohan…"
After that, she was unable to speak anymore, because her grief suddenly overwhelmed her with such intensity that she broke down into vicious sobs, placing her face in her hands at the loss of Gohan. She didn't care that other people were there—everyone else was grieving, too. She didn't care what anyone else would say if they saw her now, crying, showing the utmost sign of weakness. It didn't matter now. Nothing did. No one outside of this little group would truly know that she had broken down because of the loss of a boy.
But Gohan wasn't just any boy. He was kind and gentle, and also strong, and he was honest, and pure, and cared so much for his family, especially for his little brother…and he had been someone to look at Videl for who she was, not simply based on her parentage. He was unique, special, one-of-a-kind.
And she loved him, she knew that now.
The tears just didn't seem to stop as she continued to cry into her palms, sobbing almost uncontrollably now as the news began to truly take root in her. She might not ever see him again…and she hadn't even been able to tell him how she truly felt about him. She would never be able to see his smiling face once more, never be able to hear his voice again…
It was too much to bear as she continued to sob, hiding her face from view, nearly choking on her breath because she was crying so much, barely even able to breathe any more. But it hurt too much—she never knew that a pain like this existed, an emotional pain that was so strong that it seemed to override anything that she had felt before, and suddenly, being beaten by Spopovich didn't seem to hurt nearly as much as the fact that Gohan was dead.
Why hadn't the world fallen apart? Why were people continuing their lives, completely oblivious to the fact that Gohan was dead? How could life continue since he was gone?
Gohan was dead. The world had just about ended, had collapsed around her completely as the fact that the boy that she now realized that she truly loved was gone. She couldn't believe it, didn't want to believe it. And yet…the pure anguish that had flashed across Chi-Chi's face before she had passed out from the pure wave of overpowering emotions that had hit her when she had heard from her husband that her son was dead…it cemented the fact that he was gone.
Gohan was dead. A fresh wave of sobs wracked her petite frame, her mind unable to fathom life without him, because the world had ended because he was dead. And yet, it hadn't. Why?
Gohan was dead.
And her life suddenly seemed to be torn into pieces, ruthlessly severed, because he was gone. She tried to control herself, somehow trying to stop her crying; most people would believe that, since she was such an emotionally strong girl, that she would get a grip.
But even the toughest of people had feelings, and Videl Satan was unable to accept the fact that Gohan was gone, too much for her to handle, too much for her to possibly believe. And yet, she had somehow accepted it with a terrible sinking feeling within her body, her heart ripped in two.
Gohan was dead. Even more tears poured from her eyes…and, when it seemed that she had gained slight control over the tears, she would be viciously reminded of Gohan once more, seeing his smiling face and kind, dark, intoxicating obsidian eyes, or when he was the Gold Fighter, his shining blond hair and completely mesmerizing and unearthly solid turquoise orbs…and the sobs would suddenly renew themselves with a vengeance.
Time meant nothing to her as of now. It could've been seconds, minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, and she didn't feel a difference, was unable to feel anything but the terrible numbness that sometimes came, only to be replaced by agonizing, ripping anguish. She continued to cry heartbrokenly, sobbed until she could barely breathe, until her voice grew raw and her eyes itched terribly from how many tears she'd shed. And, even when she had believed that she had cried herself out, she was once again reminded of Gohan, the boy that she loved…
And it seemed as if she was truly unable to ever run out of tears.
Pain.
Everything hurt. Pain overrode everything, so that nothing else was felt but pain, agony.
It hurt to move. Even the simplest twitch of his fingers was absolutely agonizing.
It hurt to breathe. Each shaky rising and falling of his chest, each time his lungs drew oxygen in and caused carbon dioxide to leave, seemed to take very last ounce of energy that he had.
It hurt to live.
Why was he still alive? How had he not died yet, because of the agony that was coursing through his system, the blood that was steadily pooling around him from various wounds, the pain that it caused his lungs simply to breathe? He felt like dying. He wanted to die.
So why wasn't he dead?
Majin Buu had been completely out of his league. Even though it had seemed to be nothing more than an obese, living, breathing piece of bubblegum with the mental capacity of a two-year-old, the monster had been insanely powerful. He had been unable to do any damage to the pink freak.
He'd tried to stop it from resurrecting by doing everything he could, firing energy beams at the cocoon that held the monster, even using his father's most powerful and signature move, the Kamehameha, on the shell. He thought that he'd killed it. And then the smoke had manifested into Majin Buu.
He'd tried to fight Majin Buu, but the monster was just as powerful as Kibito and Shin had forewarned him. At the thought of Kibito, he hazily remembered that Dabura, the demon king, had killed him, simply blasting the pink-skinned man in the face, and had turned Krillin and Piccolo to stone by spitting on them…
Even more people died because of him. Because he was too damned weak.
He and Shin had managed to survive, but just barely. After trying to make a quick getaway with the Supreme Kai, the monster had suddenly appeared in front of him, and, with almost childlike enthusiasm, had taken him out with one hit. He hadn't been expecting it, and had been stunned for a few minutes, leaving the Lord of Lords defenseless. He had gotten back up, however, and engaged Majin Buu in combat.
He never stood a chance.
After a few blows were dealt, with which Gohan seemed to be not hurting the monster at all and with each and every hit coming from the pink blob seeming to either break something or tear his skin, causing his clothes to tear even more and more blood to spill on his clothes, which were already caked lightly with blood because of the energy drain of Spopovich and Yamu and his fight with Dabura, Majin Buu had seemed to be bored, and had executed a powerful energy blast at him.
Then, he was falling, and he had landed here, in a forest, where he was dying, barely clinging to life.
But why was he still alive? It hurt just to simply function—every shuddering beat of his heart seemed to take every ounce of energy that he had left. His lungs ached with effort as he breathed, and he could still feel the slightly metallic taste of blood upon his tongue from when he had coughed some up after he had received a fierce blow to the stomach, could feel it drying on his torn up clothing from his open wounds.
It hurt to think so much, hurt to remember everything that had happened in the span of a few hours. He didn't want to remember. He didn't want to see the shock on Kibito's face when Dabura suddenly appeared in front of him and smirked before blasting him into oblivion, didn't want to see Krillin and Piccolo suddenly freeze and become cold stone statues, didn't want to see Vegeta suddenly become possessed by Babidi, didn't want to see the slightly crazed and insane look in the suddenly heartless jade-green eyes, a look that hadn't been in the prince's eyes for many years, not since he'd been under Frieza's servitude…
Why wasn't he dead? He wanted death, because it seemed so much better than what he was currently in now, in pain in every single nerve in his body, struggling to breathe in and out. Why was he still clinging to life, his grip slightly loosening with each passing second but still maintaining a valiant hold on life, on keeping his heart beating, keeping his brain functioning?
Faces began to appear slowly in Gohan's mind, seeming to form behind his closed eyelids. A warm, motherly face, with dark black hair often pulled up into a bun, rarely let down except when she was sleeping, dark brown eyes that were stern but also caring and gentle, having the spark of a fighter within their depths. His mother.
An innocent, slightly cherubic face, still slightly pudgy with baby fat even though the rest of his body was beginning to be packed with muscle, with wide, innocent and happy eyes, haphazard black spikes for hair that was exactly the same as his father's, and trusting, friendly, loving onyx orbs. His little brother. Goten.
That's why he was still living. His mother and brother. They needed him, and he'd promised to never leave them; he'd promised to take care of his mother after his father had sacrificed himself in the fruitless attempt to kill Cell, had vowed to watch over his little brother the moment that he first laid eyes on the baby's form.
Other faces also made their way to the front of his mind—the aqua/blue hair, pale, delicate features, and shining, caring, bright blue eyes of Bulma, the woman who was almost like an older sister and an aunt to him; the noseless, friendly face of Krillin, his father's best friend; the serious lines on Piccolo's green face, the smirk that he sometimes wore around Gohan, showing that he was proud of his student; Trunks, with his lavender hair and bright blue eyes from his mother's side, but the tanned skin and exact same facial features from his father, wearing a mischievous smirk so akin to the elder Saiyan prince that it was uncanny; even Vegeta, with his regal features and onyx eyes which were slightly cold and haughty, showing his superiority—Gohan had the oddest feeling that the Vegeta that Babidi had awakened wasn't the real Vegeta, not the one that he knew, and was the reason why the Saiyan prince's face had also appeared behind Gohan's lids. Even the faces of Sharpener and Erasa, the two blondes smiling at him, seemed to materialize.
And one other person's face came to the front of his mind…
Pale, slightly delicate and soft features, framed by short black hair that made the features on her face look even more feminine. Beautiful dark blue eyes that seemed to be as deep and unfathomable as the deepest, darkest parts of the ocean, easily able to become lost in, nearly drowning in their pools of endless, dark blue, eyes that always held the bright spark of spirit within them, either shining with determination, or with pride, even with fear for his wellbeing.
Videl…
Small moments suddenly appeared in his head, small, sporadic bits of time that had occurred between them, in no specific order. When he'd told her about his father, how she'd hugged him reassuringly and had allowed him to cry on her shoulder…watching the clouds and, as the day transitioned into night, the stars, trying to find shapes up in the sky…his reluctant and contented purrs as she gave him a soothing massage…vaguely hearing her scream his name through his own shouts of agony as Spopovich and Yamu had taken his energy…the fire that ignited in her eyes after she had asked him if he liked girls with short hair, before she'd yelled fiercely at him, telling him that she'd do whatever she wanted to with her hair…the pure surprise etched on her features when he'd forced her into the lake, pulling her wrist and catching her off guard…her blue eyes gazing into his gently, as he was mesmerized by those endless pools of blue as his eyes closed along with hers and their lips gently met…her quickly pecking his cheek, before announcing as he left that she was going to ask him out on a date…her voice, slightly pleading as she begged him to promise her that he would come back…
His mind suddenly vividly recalled the promise that he'd made to Videl. He'd promised her that he'd come back, for his mother and for his younger brother, and also for her.
That was why he was still alive. He couldn't break his promise to her; no matter how badly he simply wanted to die, he had to return, because he'd promised that he would. It was why his heart was still beating, why his lungs still gathered air even though it burned every fiber of his being to be doing so.
Seeing her face in her mind, her smile lighting up her delicate features and causing her eyes to twinkle, or seeming to hear her faint laugh, that sounded like the sweetest music to him when he was the one that was making her laugh, the way her eyes lit up even more…it all seemed to slightly take away his pain, making it the slightest bit more bearable. His heart didn't seem to struggle as much, and his lungs didn't feel like they were laboring as badly anymore as he thought of Videl, of her pretty face and of the gentility that sometimes shone in her eyes.
And then it hit Gohan like a ton of bricks. Well, taking his Saiyan strength into account, like quite a few well-placed punches from Majin Buu. He involuntarily let out a gasp, before his body instantly rebelled, screaming in pain as he twitched. However, he had been unable to help it, purely shocked as he realized the truth.
The true depth of his feelings for her went much deeper than friendship or simple attraction. He couldn't think of any other reason to describe some of the behaviors that he had exhibited towards her, why he had sometimes acted the way he had. Why he had quietly asked her not to scare him half to death again, because if something happened to her while he was there to protect her, he would never forgive himself; why he had become so enraged when Spopovich had brutally beaten her, a temporary animal seeming to suddenly take over his being; why he suddenly seemed to draw comfort from her, remembering the way that she looked, and the scent that had always lingered on her skin, like a hint of something flowery along with vanilla, something that he'd always unintentionally caught and had never truly realized until now, as his mind suddenly swarmed with memories of her…
He loved her.
It was the only explanation for his behaviors, the sole reason why he acted the way he did around Videl. It all made complete sense, and Gohan vaguely wondered why he'd never noticed it before. It was so blatantly obvious that Gohan simply felt like a complete idiot at the moment; it seemed as if he'd unintentionally known in his sub-consciousness, but hadn't truly seemed to notice it in his mind until now, and now that he had fully realized it, it was almost as if he had been stupid for not realizing before.
Suddenly, he knew that he had to tell her, had to somehow let her know that he loved her before he died, because he knew that he was dying but he was still alive, barely clinging on, his hold on life slipping ever-so-slightly with each passing second. But he couldn't die, he couldn't, he wouldn't, not before he was able to tell her his true feelings towards her.
He just needed to hold on for a little longer…but it hurt so much, and he was so tired, and it would be so much easier to just let everything go…every beat of his heart caused agony and seemed to be weakening, his lungs shaking even more…
But then, he thought of dark blue eyes, and suddenly, his heart seemed to beat slightly stronger, his lungs taking in another breath.
He couldn't die. Not yet. He wouldn't die, not until he had told Videl how he truly felt about her. He wouldn't allow himself to escape into the inviting blackness that suddenly seemed to be consuming him, couldn't allow himself to just simply go into the darkness, because what if he never woke up again? He had to stay alive. For his mother, his brother, his friends…and for the girl that he realized that he truly loved.
However, with all his determination, it seemed as if his body was finally beginning to fail on him—even with the thoughts of his family and friends, their faces seeming to take away the pain and reigniting the fire that burned within him, the fire that told him to live, he was unable to stop the flow of blood from his open wounds. Even as he thought of Videl, he still felt his grip on life grow even weaker and weaker, even though he vehemently told himself that he couldn't die…but he slowly began to grow colder and colder, the flow of blood seeping through his wounds seeming to be even warmer against his clothes and skin…
He felt small touches on his body, and he knew that the animals must have gathered around him, probably wondering why a bleeding, dying person was currently in the forest that they inhabited, having gotten over their initial fear of him simply crashing into their home. He felt a soft nose nuzzle into his black hair, felt tiny paws on his gloved hands, but it was growing slowly more numb…a small animal, probably a squirrel, scampered over his hand, but he didn't feel it as much as he had felt its paws on him before, and the gentle nose that was now softly touching his cheek, probably belonging to a deer, seemed to affect him less as if he wasn't able to feel anymore, and he was so cold…
It was then that he heard a vaguely familiar voice gasp out, calling his name in surprise, followed by a statement of pure relief from someone else. The second voice was…Shin? But wasn't he hurt also? How did he get over here?
And the first voice that had spoken…could that possibly have been Kibito? But wasn't he dead? He'd seen the pink-skinned man die right in front of his very eyes, had watched as Dabura had blown him to bits, and yet he was hearing his voice…maybe he had already died, and Kibito and Shin had come to greet him…
He faintly felt the animals scamper away from him, probably startled at the arrival of two other people. They might've been able to sense Gohan's gentility and how much he cared for animals, but they weren't sure about the other two newcomers. They were speaking, but Gohan wasn't able to tell what they were saying, their voices seeming to grow fainter…
Then, he felt a faint hand on his shoulder, and the odd sensation that had come with his father using Instant Transmission to teleport them somewhere came again, except it was much, much less pronounced than usual.
He was dying…but he couldn't die, not yet, he had to hold on…others were waiting for him, and he'd promised Videl that he would come back…
It was then that he felt a hand on his chest. Suddenly, he would feel his wounds closing up, seeming to stitch themselves together once more, and was suddenly regaining the ability to feel, the odd numbness that had begun to spread through his body suddenly leaving. His heart began to beat more strongly, his lungs more easily taking in air, and he could feel the blood pumping through his veins once more, and was able to assess his surroundings. The unbearable agony was going away, and he was able to feel the texture of the grass under his cheek, to feel the pressure of the hand on his chest. All the terrible feelings that had come to him before, of pain and unfeeling, had been replaced with healing and life.
His eyes flew open on their own accord to see Kibito looking down on him with seriousness on his wrinkled features, and with Shin wearing a relieved look on his face. Slowly, Gohan stood up, and could clearly hear Shin's verbal relief that he was all right, the Supreme Kai's voice sounding clearly in his ears. Gohan clenched and unclenched his fists in wonder, feeling new power coursing through his being, even more powerful than before thanks to his Saiyan genes—every time they had a scrape with death, when healed, they became that much stronger, and this time was no exception.
He was no longer dying—he was fully alive, and stronger than he had been before. A few scattered, relieved thoughts crossed through his mind at the moment as he marveled at how he was just saved from the brink of death yet again.
He wasn't dead. He was alive.
He'd be able to protect those he cared for, his family, his friends.
And he would be able to keep his promise to Videl.
The grief and hopelessness on the Lookout was just about tangible as everyone was still trying to cope with the news that Gohan and Vegeta were dead.
Most of them had their heads down, faces downcast; Krillin looked out into the distance, not seeing anything, remembering the ultimate sacrifice that Vegeta made to save those he loved, giving up his own life in hopes of protecting them, for it only to be in vain, and unable to believe that Gohan was also gone; Yamcha, Roshi, and the other fighters were all mourning silently over the loss of Gohan; Bulma was in a slight fetal position, her hands gripping her blue hair tightly, as if it was the only thing that was keeping her sane, keeping her from screaming in agony, staring blankly at nothing, her blue eyes still shining with tears as she tried to understand the fact that Vegeta, her proud prince, her husband, was somehow dead; Chi-Chi was sobbing softly into her palms, oblivious to everything else but pure anguish, while the Ox King cradled his daughter in his massive arms, hugging her as he, too, mourned the loss of his oldest grandson; everyone else was just scattered around, no one really talking. Every now and then, Eighteen would talk to her husband, and Marron would hop into her daddy's lap and say something that brought the smallest of smiles to Krillin's lips; then, his girls would leave him some time alone, which was all right with him.
Videl was standing away from the little group, her hands resting on the railing of the palace, looking out into the distance. Tears still shone in her eyes as well as she bit her lip, shaking her head fiercely as she refused to cry again. But after seeing how the boys had reacted, she felt even more agony for them. They were only seven and eight years old, for crying out loud!
Goten and Trunks had woken up not that long ago; when they'd received the information that Vegeta and Gohan were dead, they both had very different reactions. Trunks had instantly turned Super Saiyan, screaming that his father wasn't dead, lunging for Goku, ready to hit him, but Piccolo had held the slightly hysterical boy back. Goten had begun to wail, unable to believe that his big brother, the one who had taught him how to fly, how to control his Super Saiyan form, and everything in between, was gone. After being told harshly that they had to focus, the two little boys had instantly blamed Goku for the deaths of their loved ones. They wouldn't listen to him until he let them talk to their families, and Goku had reluctantly relented, giving them fifteen minutes.
Then, the boys had come to see their families, who weren't in any better shape than they had been. Trunks had instantly gone over to his mother, and had held back tears in his sky blue eyes. She had looked up at him with red-rimmed eyes, trying to regain her composure in front of her son, bringing a hand to rest on his cheek. He had then told her in a hoarse voice that his dad's last request had been to protect Mom, and that he would do that. Bulma had smiled tremblingly at the look on her son's face, the determination on his features that were oh-so-agonizingly-similar to his father's, and had told him that he looked just like Vegeta when he did that…then, she had hugged Trunks close to her, and the little boy hugged his mother back gently, both of them sobbing at the loss of their loved one. Trunks had sobbed into his mother's chest, actually acting his age at the moment as he struggled to cope with the loss; Bulma had run her fingers through his lavender hair, holding him tightly, crying silent tears of loss herself. Goten had instantly gone over to his mother, who had just woken up a few minutes ago. The moment that she saw her little boy, she had let out a cry and had run over to him, hugging him tightly to her while he hugged her back, both of them crying as well at the loss of Gohan. Goku, slightly unsure, had also gone over to his little family, placing a hand on Chi-Chi's back in a slightly comforting gesture.
Seeing the boy's reactions had broken Videl's heart, and she had been yet again reminded that Gohan was dead.
Some time had passed since then, and the boys were currently learning the Fusion Dance, a technique that would enable them to somehow combine into one extremely strong warrior. And, while they were doing that, everyone else was just sitting numbly around the Lookout in their positions of grief as the news sunk in even deeper than before.
"It's almost impossible to believe, huh?" Yamcha finally stated numbly as he broke the silence that had hung over them like a dark cloud, shaking his head. "That Gohan and Vegeta are gone…"
Bulma let out a sound between a choke and a sob, hands gripping her hair even more tightly as her lip trembled, before she let out a wail as she began to cry again without abandon, quickly getting up out of her chair, bringing her hands up to her face as she cried into her palms, unashamed. It hurt so much, the fact that her strong, tough guy, the man who was always there for her, the solid rock in her life, was gone. She loved him so much…
As she sobbed into her palms, Krillin cast a sour look at Yamcha. "Nice going," he muttered in irritation, gesturing to the blue-haired woman who was now slightly hysterical with her grief, barely able to breathe through her sobs.
Yamcha returned the look with his own dark eyes, glaring slightly at Krillin. "I didn't mean anything," he replied in his defense, which was true—even though he may not have exactly liked the guy, the loss of Vegeta, probably the second-strongest person on the planet and the one who seemed to never die no matter what happened to him, had also made an impact on the group. Coupled with the loss of the true defeater of Cell, and it amounted to one great batch of hopelessness and agony. He walked up to his former girlfriend, gently placing his hands on her shuddering shoulders as an attempt to comfort her.
"I'm sorry, B, I didn't mean to hurt you more," he told her sincerely, lightly squeezing her small shoulders reassuringly, before he tried a slight attempt at a joke. "I sure am a dumbass, aren't I?"
This gained him a slight form of response similar to the Bulma that he knew—she let out a slight laugh, choking it out through her sobs as she peered up at him with her watery blue eyes, shining with her tears, forming a slightly trembling smile.
"You can say that again," she teased back hoarsely, managing to smile at him for only a second longer before she collapsed once more, crying. Yamcha went in front of her and wrapped her in a gentle hug, and Bulma cried into his chest as he simply held her, like a friend. He knew that they didn't have romantic feelings for each other anymore—she'd accepted the fact that they weren't meant for each other a long time ago, and, even though it had been difficult, especially considering that the guy that she did end up with was a total prick and had killed him before, he had gradually accepted that fact as well. Both of them were content on being just very good friends, and it seemed as if this friendship was working out even better than their old dating life had been. Yamcha was currently being the crying shoulder that Bulma so desperately needed, someone who was stronger than her, who would support her solidly and simply be there for her while she struggle to cope with the loss. He ran his fingers gently though her silky blue hair, not saying anything this time as he allowed her to completely break down, not telling her that she had to get a grip again. He vaguely understood now, the pain and agony that she must be going through.
"It's just…" Krillin sighed, unable to come up with words to describe the true emotions that were in the palace; the grief was much too strong to be called grief, and the hopelessness was too heavy for it to be referred to as hopelessness. Words of that magnitude had not been created, and probably would never be created.
"Why them?" Bulma managed to whisper, voice breaking slightly, unable to understand it. Vegeta had paid for his past sins many times over, and plenty of the things that he had done would probably not have been committed if he hadn't been under the tyrannous rule of Frieza since he was merely five years old, and still had paid for them in the nightmares that had sometimes occurred—however, Bulma's presence had helped him, and he had found himself having them less and less frequently than normal. And Gohan…what had that kid done? Everything that he'd done was only to save the world, only for the benefit of others, almost always putting other people before himself, saving himself to dead, complete last.
"I c-can't buh-believe that suh-something as st-st-stupid as M-Majin Buu kuh-killed them," Bulma gasped out, over the murmured, "Shhh," that Yamcha was gently saying to calm her down, running his fingers through her hair once again. "V-V-Vegeta…and G-guh-Gohan…"
It was as if something suddenly snapped within Videl, and without warning, she instantly whipped around, facing the grieving faces of everyone else. Suddenly, the grief wasn't in respect for the dead—it was in giving up, and Videl never gave up. Her mind had settled it: even though her brain was currently telling her that Gohan was dead, since Goku had told her that information, her heart absolutely refused to believe it. She…she somehow knew that Gohan had to be out there, Goku must have been mistaken…her mind said he was, but her heart begged to differ…
"That's all I hear!" Videl suddenly shouted, glaring at them. "Dead, dead, dead!" She threw her hands up in the air, suddenly regaining the fire that she thought had slightly diminished when Goku had told her that Gohan had died. The initial shock of it all and the initial believing was what caused her to act that way—she resolved to cry no more, that she wouldn't cry anymore, because her heart was suddenly saying that Gohan wasn't dead, that he was alive, that he just couldn't be dead because he'd promised her that he wouldn't die, that he'd come back.
He promised.
"You all just give up hope so easily, don't you!?" she yelled, clenching her fists. "Believing that Gohan's dead! Well, he's not!"
There was a slightly awkward silence, the only sound being Videl's slightly sped up breathing and Bulma's continuing sobs, and Yamcha's gentle murmurs and shush's of comfort to the beautiful and yet distraught woman. Then, Krillin spoke up, shaking his head, sorrow and regret in his tone.
"I'm sorry, Videl," he said gravely, looking down at the table as he played with his fingers, not wanting to meet her startlingly intense blue gaze, which had suddenly whipped to him as he had spoken. "We all have the unique ability to sense each other's energy, and, lemme tell ya, it's impossible not to sense Gohan. When you don't sense someone's energy, however…it means that…they've passed on." He finally managed to make eye-contact with her, bracing himself for what he knew he had to tell her, to make her understand. "Well, we can't sense Gohan's energy anymore, Videl. I'm sorry."
She fiercely shook her head in reply, clenching her fists, feeling the tears begin to fill up in her eyes once more at the news that Krillin told her but valiantly held them back, because it wasn't true, he wasn't gone!
"I don't care what you say," she said with surprising venom in her voice, acid that even startled herself with its intensity. "He's not dead. He can't be…" The tears filled up in her eyes again, and she hastily blinked them to clear them away, looking away from Krillin as she gazed out into the distance. A single tear escaped from her eye, falling down her cheek ever-so-slowly as she hastily wiped it away, sniffling the slightest bit.
She began to speak softly, more to herself than anyone else, not caring if they heard her or not. "He can't be dead…before we ever had a chance to be together," she confessed quietly, another tear falling from her eye. Once again, she quickly wiped it away, before placing her forehead in her hand as she stared at the pristine white marble railing of the Lookout.
"Gohan…you promised that you would come back," Videl whispered, feeling a few more silent tears fall from her eyes—she was crying so much, and she wanted to stop, but when she was hit with the thought that Gohan was dead (but he wasn't, she fiercely told herself, he wasn't, he wasn't), her emotions took over, grief at the thought of losing him being the primary thing in her mind. She was so confused, so many emotions stirring within her that it was slightly startling with how much she could feel at one time.
"You don't break your promises, Gohan," she said to herself in a quiet murmur, almost as if she could visualize his face right in front of her, as if she was actually speaking to him now instead of herself. "You said that you'd come back. You can't be gone. You promised."
A few more tears escaped, and this time, Videl didn't brush them away, feeling too numb and conflicted at the moment to care about her tears. The saltiness of them as they fell on her tongue seemed diluted as she simply became lost in her own thoughts, having her own internal conflict with her logic and with her heart.
Krillin looked at her, seeing the tears that were silently coursing down her cheeks as she looked out into the distance, barely even making a sound as she grieved, and yet she still had remained hopeful in the fact that Gohan was alive. He didn't know how else to explain it, though—he wasn't able to feel Gohan's energy. Unless the kid was on a different planet thousands of miles away, then Gohan was gone. He couldn't offer Bulma any solace; he'd been right there with Piccolo as Vegeta had sacrificed himself for the sake of his family, had felt as the Saiyan prince expelled all of his energy in a last-ditch effort to kill Majin Buu. Piccolo had said that there had been no trace of him left, and what made the loss all the worse was that it had been in vain.
Hoping that maybe Videl was right and that Gohan was still alive, he vainly reached his senses to their limits. However, he was unable to feel the familiar, warm and powerful ki of his close friend, and felt disappointment at that. He had allowed himself a glimmer of hope, but it had been vanished as quickly as it had been ignited. He let out a sigh, shaking his head, casting a look at Yamcha, who was still comforting Bulma, hugging her as she cried, before Krillin turned his gaze back to where the young woman was standing, eyes closed.
Krillin wasn't sure what had happened between Gohan and her; he'd only got quick little glimpses from here at the Tournament at their reactions. He knew that Gohan had first told him that Videl seemed to be out for his blood—then, the kid had said that she wasn't all that bad, and that she was pretty decent. While they had been at the Tournament, Krillin had noticed a few subtle things that he wasn't sure anyone else had picked up on, except, perhaps, the other females in their group of misfits. He had noticed how Gohan had gone to stand next to Videl instead of being with their group while they had waited on line for the punch machine; as they had drawn their numbers, he noticed that Gohan had gone away from them and had gone to stand next to Videl, and had seen her wear a small smile on her face as he went over to her and began talking to her; Krillin also could not forget the reaction that Gohan had when he'd seen Spopovich hurting Videl, could not forget how animalistic the normally good-tempered and gentle kid had suddenly become while she was being hurt, becoming a Super Saiyan in his anger; Gohan's anxiousness as he waited for his father to return with the Senzu beans that would heal Videl had been just about tangible in the air; Krillin also recalled when Videl had been healed, how she had pushed through them to see Gohan, and how, when Spopovich and Yamu had been draining his energy, she had tried to run out and help him before Goku had restrained her.
Even though he often teased Gohan about how the teenager felt about Videl, Krillin knew that the two liked each other. It had been obvious in their behaviors—well, to him at least. Krillin hadn't seen Gohan that angry since the battle with Cell, when the perfect life form had crushed Android #16's head ruthlessly with his foot; and Videl hadn't struck him as the type of girl that would cry over something that wasn't meaningful to her. Seeing her reaction to the news of hearing that Gohan was dead had cemented it. Even if they didn't know it, they liked each other greatly—hell, maybe they loved each other, he wasn't sure.
Just then, Eighteen came over to him once again, Marron in her arms. After she reached her husband, their little girl climbed down into Krillin's lap, hugging him around his neck. He couldn't help the small smile that appeared on his features as his little girl hugged him—she always managed to cheer him up somehow. He was even more grateful when Eighteen simply put a hand on his shoulder, glad for the support.
"Daddy," Marron began quietly, whispering into his ear as if telling him a secret. He leaned in closer to her, causing her to giggle slightly, before she continued. "I still don't get why everyone's so sad," she confessed quietly, looking down at her red dress, absentmindedly playing with one of her blond pigtails that were held up with pretty red bows, the way that she did when she was confused or unsure about something. "I mean, can't we just wish Gohan and Mister Vegeta back with the Dragon Balls?"
Krillin sighed, shaking his head slightly. "Remember, sweetheart, the Dragon Balls were used before, remember? To bring back everyone who had been killed at the Tournament?"
The little five-year-old nodded. "But don't they grant two wishes?"
"Yeah, they do, but we already used one wish. We have to wait six months before we're able to use them again," he told her quietly. He also didn't want to add the fact that the Dragon Balls couldn't bring back people who had died already, which would mean that, no matter what, Vegeta wasn't coming back to them. He wasn't sure if Bulma was able to hear them, and didn't want to make her grief even worse by saying that.
"Oh," Marron replied, looking thoughtful for a moment before she reached up and kissed his cheek. "Well, I'm glad that you're OK, Daddy," she told him, wrapping her little arms around his neck once more in a hug. Krillin smiled once more, hugging her back. After she let go, she sent him a dazzling grin, and hopped out of his lap after telling her mother that she wanted to explore the rest of the palace. Eighteen agreed, cautioning the little girl to be careful, before Marron scampered off. Krillin sighed as he watched their daughter run off.
He felt his wife gently squeeze his shoulder, and he looked up at her for a moment, managing a smile at her. She couldn't help but smile the slightest bit back—it was one of the wonderful things about Krillin, the way that he could somehow make her smile so easily, even without words—before she bent down and gently kissed his cheek.
"I'm glad that you're all right, too, Krillin," she told him, and Krillin was able to smile even more at her as he brought his hand up to the one that she had resting on his shoulder, so that their hands were gently touching.
"Thanks, honey; I'm really glad that I'm OK, too," he said, slightly jokingly, making Eighteen roll her eyes at him slightly, unable to hide the smirk that formed on her face at that. He chuckled at her reaction, squeezing her hand lightly, feeling a sense of peace come over him as his wife stood there, being there for him when he needed it, keeping track of his daughter's moving ki as she explored the Lookout to her heart's content.
After a few moments of comfortable silence as Krillin to strength from the presence of his wife, she eventually told him that she would go and check on how Marron was doing, even though she already knew where the girl was based on her ki signature. It made Krillin smile a bit more; she hadn't been sure if she would be a good mother to Marron, and she had been correct, because Krillin thought that she was an absolutely amazing mother to their daughter. In reply, he had nodded, and she had bent down to kiss his cheek once again, so reminiscent of the first time that she had done so, when she had still been considered a "bad" guy and had been simply teasing him, before she went to go and check up on the little girl.
Videl had watched the little interaction between the family from the corner of her eye. The icy blonde woman, Eighteen, seemed to be cold and frigid, without emotion, but having seen her interact with Krillin, Videl almost completely changed her mind. Also, having seen the way that she had cared for her daughter had also changed her view on the woman. Gohan had told her about how Eighteen had been very cold towards just about everyone, but had warmed up after she had been with Krillin.
Thinking about Gohan caused another stab of pain to hit her, and she turned away quickly, fighting within herself once more. He wasn't dead. She absolutely refused to believe that he was gone, after everything that had happened to them, after what he'd promised her…
She looked out into the distance, wondering where Gohan was now, because she knew that he was alive, she was sure that he was alive, because she was unable to believe he was dead. If she had never met Gohan, she was sure that she wouldn't care about him, able to go on with life normally, unaffected by his absence or presence in the world. But now that he was in her life…she couldn't imagine a life without him in it.
Dammit, he wasn't be dead. He wasn't, because if he was, then she would strangle him herself.
Videl took in a deep breath, shaking her head. He couldn't be dead. She wouldn't allow it. She knew that he was alive.
He'd promised her that he'd come back. And Gohan was the type of person that kept his promises, no matter what.
He couldn't be dead…because she'd been unable to tell him the truth.
She wouldn't allow him to die on her, wouldn't allow him to leave this world, until Videl Satan had told Gohan Son that she loved him.
Wow, this was a quick update. Inspiration hit, guys, you're lucky, I can't believe I got this done in less than a week! I couldn't wait to write this chapter—yes, I just love writing emotional scenes like this. I'm terrible, I know XD. Also, I absolutely love little family moments between characters, so I could not resist putting in a little Krillin, Eighteen, and Marron interaction, I think they're such a cute family. Also, even though I may not like Yamcha all that much (true Vegeta and Trunks fangirl all the way here XD), I don't think that he's a complete dick. I think that he'd try to comfort Bulma and that he was just stupid in the show when he tried to comfort her the first time.
Anyways, only one more chapter left of the Buu saga, before we get into the really juicy stuff! *wink, wink* So, thank you, everyone, for reading this, and please review! Thanks! :D