--- Disturbance, Book 1: Convergence ---
Chapter C09
Disclaimer: The fun about this sentence is that by the time you realise it doesn't say anything, it's too late to stop reading it. Also: See first chapter.
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-Say, yes they know that you've hurt yourself another time-
"Wait a minute Videl!" A voice called out to her moments before she could reach the doorway. Turning around, she noticed Kaen approaching, a grim expression on his face. "Can I have a word in private?"
She looked around the room, noticing that Spopovich seemed to be taking his time, so she nodded, replying, "Okay, but make it quick."
He grinned, although the gesture seemed forced, "Quick huh? Then I'll just right to the chase." Dropping the grin, he continued, "Videl, I know you and I aren't exactly friends, but you are important to Pi, Kat, and Gohan, so I feel I have to tell you that you can not win this match."
"What?" the girl exclaimed, loud enough to draw the other's attention, before lowering her voice again to add, "Why do you say that? It's just Spopovich. I mean, my dad took him down in the first round last tournament, and as you guys have been telling me all day, I'm stronger than dad, so-"
"Listen girl," Kaen interrupted, "You have no idea what you're getting into here. This isn't Spopovich anymore, at least not the Spopovich your dad defeated, or the Spopovich I raced; I'm not sure he even qualifies as human anymore, such is his... augmentation."
Crossing her arms, she scowled, "If what you're saying is true, then why aren't Gohan and the others so worried?"
"Because they haven't met people with this... augmentation before," Kaen shot back, "Whereas Pi and I have."
-Don't they know that you're full of pain already?-
Taking a deep breath, she nodded, accepting his advice, before replying, "Be that as it may, I still have my warrior's pride; I'm not going to forfeit the match."
He grinned wryly, commenting, "We'll make a Saiyan out of you yet..." Shaking his head, he held up his hands in a defeated manner, adding, "I realise now that nothing I can say will stop you fighting." Placing a hand on her shoulder, he advised, "Just remember one thing: a true warrior knows when to fight, and when to run. Pride means nothing if you're dead." He grinned again, giving her one last comment, "And keep in mind there's no shame in winning by ringing your opponent out in the first few minutes."
She smiled back, replying with a nod, "I'll keep that in mind." Noticing Spopovich finally making his appearance, she took a step back, commenting, "Well, time to see just how true your words were," as she turned and strode off into the arena.
-Yes they know that you've hurt yourself another time-
As Kaen strode back to the group, Gohan shot him a wry look, asking semi-jokingly, "What was that all about? You hittin' on my girl?"
The older Saiyan just snorted, "In your wet dreams boy. Just giving her a few tips, one fighter to another. Kami knows we can't have her relying on a rookie like you."
Vegeta scoffed, "And what useful advice could you possibly give a weakling human girl like her?"
Kaen just glared at him, sighing, "Vegeta, you don't live through as many life-or-death situations as I did without learning how to take down stronger opponents."
"And what makes you think Videl's so outgunned?" Goku asked; he hadn't really been around Kaen long enough to form a real opinion of the older-but-younger fighter.
Kaen just smirked. "Experience."
-Decadence isn't easy, is it?-
"Videl! Go get 'em girl!" Erasa shouted, standing up in her seat to wave at her friend. She realised the girl probably couldn't see her all the way up in the stands, but that's not why one shouts support now is it?
"Huh, I betcha this guy doesn't even make it five seconds." Sharpner commented, before adding, "I still can't believe that show-off Gohan made it through to the quarter finals."
Erasa just smirked at him as she sat back down, "You're just jealous of his talent, and pissed off because he mopped the floor with you during our martial arts unit at school."
The blonde-haired boy's indignant cries of "He did not!" were drowned out by the carousing of some of Satan City's finest, giving Videl their full support.
-Yes they know that you've hurt yourself another time-
Watching Videl walk out to the arena, waving to the crowd all the while, and listening to the crowd's roar of support, Chichi commented, "Sounds like Gohan's girlfriend has quite a few fans."
"Sure does," Bulma agreed.
"What, Gohan's girlfriend?" Yamcha asked, slightly amazed.
"Well, they claim they're just friends, but a mother knows," Chichi replied sagely, before switching over to bubbly with the flick of an invisible switch, adding, "She's a perfect match for Gohan!"
"Sure, if you overlook the fact that Mister Satan's her dad," Bulma spat.
Yamcha burst out laughing, "Mister Satan is her dad? Well that makes things interesting."
The adults fell quiet as the group of teens behind them began shouting their own cheers for Videl, but among them, Kat was oddly silent.
-Don't they know that you're full of pain already?-
Videl glared over at the giant of a man that was her opponent. At around five feet, Videl wasn't exactly tall against a regular fighter, but against the seven-foot tall, four hundred pound Spopovich, she looked positively tiny. Still, she refused to allow herself to be intimidated by his size; after all, as the saying went, the bigger they are, the harder they fall. Nonetheless, she was going to take Kaen's advice seriously, and ring him out first available chance.
The second the gong was struck Videl took off, rocketing towards her opponent at top speed. Bringing her right knee up mid-flight, she swung her left leg around, her yellow-booted foot impacting the side of his face with the full force of her momentum, and sending him flying backwards a few feet. Touching ground for a second, she took off after him, driving her elbow into his gut. Before he could recover, the started laying into him with a series of fast-but-weak blows, many of which he began blocking once he regained motor functions, but by then she leapt into the air, sending him flying towards the edge of the ring with a second kick to the side of his head.
-Yes they know that you've hurt yourself another time-
The fight wasn't over just yet however, as Spopovich proved to be heavier than he looked, only skipping across the tiles twice before landing solidly, his head still about half a foot away from the ring's edge. Sprinting over to the fallen fighter, the announcer shouted, "Spopovich is down, and from the looks of things he's down for good! I'll start the count." No sooner had he said that, however, when Spopovich sat up again, climbing back to his feet.
Before she could press forward to drive him over the edge, the pale, veined giant of a man charged towards her, and she was forced on the defensive, blocking each of his punches with one of her own, as he slowly drove her backwards. After a brief respite, he charge towards her, aiming to grab the girl in a potentially crushing bear hug, but she just slid under his legs, sending him sprawling again with a jumping kick to the face as he spun back to face her.
-Decadence isn't easy, is it?-
Spopovich climbed back to his feet again, and again charged towards her. This time, however, Videl simply ducked his arms, grabbed his wrestling tights, and ran him backwards, before throwing him over her with a classic Judo flip. However, once again Spopovich proved to be heavier than he looked, as he landed on his neck well before the edge of the arena, before flopping onto the tiled ground.
Panting slightly, Videl thought to herself, 'Man, this guy just keeps going. I think I'm starting to believe Kaen; I might not be able to win this thing.' That thought was reaffirmed as the brute climbed to his feet again, much to the shock of the announcer. Gritting her teeth, she charged for her opponent again, and the two launched a flurry of deflected blows against each other before, with a series of powerful blows, Videl sent Spopovich back to the mat again.
"And Spopovich takes another fall!" the announcer declared, "I think you'll all agree that young Videl really packs a punch!"
-Then you slowly recall all your mind-
"Yeah Videl!" Erasa shouted, standing in her seat again, as she waved one hand in the air frantically, cupping the other to the side of her mouth to amplify her voice.
A grin on his face, Sharpner added, "Keep it up girl!"
-Why, your soul's gone cold, and all hope has run dry-
"Videl will make a great wife for Gohan," Chichi announced cheerfully.
Smiling slightly, Bulma quipped, "Yeah, and it looks like she won't have any problem keeping him in line."
Chichi turned to her long-time friend, a massive smile on her face, "So you agree! I knew that you would. We've got to get those two married!"
-Dead inside-
As the two women started laughing excitedly, Yamcha felt the need to play Devil's Advocate, saying, "Hold on! Has Gohan even met Mister Satan yet?"
"Yup!" a cheery young voice interjected, "'Bout a couple hours ago." Turning to face the speaker, Kat, Yamcha noticed a grin spread across her face as she added, "He sure made a lasting first impression, that's for sure."
"How do you know that?" the retired fighter asked; having not spent much time around the time travellers, he was finding them quite interesting.
The redhead just tapped the side of her head, replying, "Kaen's keeping me informed of what's going on back stage." What she didn't tell the others were the instructions Kaen gave her, 'just in case' he'd said. 'Don't worry 'Del,' the girl thought to herself, 'I've got your back.'
-Never enough to forget that you're one of the lonely-
As Spopovich climbed to his feet once again, Videl, having regained her breath, cried incredulously, "You're kidding!" Keeping her forced-calm gaze locked on her opponent, she thought to herself 'Doesn't he know when to give in?' Her earlier thoughts about the hopelessness of the fight started returning. As Spopovich charged towards her, she growled to herself, "Time to end this! Now!"
Mere seconds before he got within striking distance of her she leapt into the air, driving her right boot into his face, and reversing his momentum on a dime. As he reeled backwards, she spun in mid-air, driving her elbow into his chest, and causing him to skip across the tile again. The second her feet touched ground she charged forward, knowing Spopovich would be climbing to his feet, and drove her fist into his unprotected gut several times, before finishing him off by kneeing him under his chin.
As Spopovich ate tile once again, Videl struggled to catch her breath, thinking to herself, 'Shit, I'm running low on energy... I can't keep this up much longer. If he doesn't stay down this time, I could be in a lot of trouble...'
No sooner had she thought that Spopovich climbed back to his feet, chuckling darkly as he strode calmly towards her. Dropping into her fighting stance, she was surprised by the brute's speed as he connected his first blow, a painful right hook to her temple, the force of which caused her to slam her head into the tile as she slid across the arena.
-Slowly recall all your mind-
-/
The sickening sound of fist meeting face at high speed echoed down the stairwell, and she had to fight back a wince, as the sound was quickly followed by the thump of a body hitting the ground, and the hiss of said body sliding against the concrete. An angry voice growled, "Don't get smart with me boy! I told you not to let it turn inward; that no matter what happened in your life, you couldn't let it own you. True to my guess, something did happen, and what did you do? YOU LET IT OWN YOU!"
"You just don't get it do you?" A second voice shouted angrily; obviously, the person struck. "He died because of me; Cell may have killed him, but his blood is on my hands! And to make matters worse, his death was pointless; Cell came back, and stronger than before! Because of my mistake, Goten had to grow up without ever knowing his father, and kaasan had to raise him for seven years without her husband."
"Big FUCKING deal!" The first voice shouted back, seeming angrier than before, and she almost swore she could feel the door shaking at his tone. "Get over yourself! Sure, you made one mistake. You cost one man his life, one woman her husband, two boys their father, and a dozen or so people their close friend; big deal! I made one mistake and I crippled my WHOLE FUCKING RACE!"
\-
-Say, yes they know that you've hurt yourself another time-
Fearing for her friend, Erasa gasped, "Oh no, Videl!"
"She's okay," Sharpner replied calmly, "I'm sure she can take a whole lot more than that.
-Don't they know that you're full of pain already?-
Dazed, Videl tried to climb to her feet, faltering from the ringing in her head and falling back to her knees. 'What the hell was that... I don't remember that happening!' Before she could ponder the issue further, Spopovich was upon her again, wrapping his hand around her throat as he lifted her off the ground; because his hands were so big, and her neck was so small, he wound up with only his middle two fingers around her neck, but his forefinger covered her mouth and nearly blocked her nose.
-Yes they know that you've hurt yourself another time-
-Decadence isn't easy, is it?-
-/
A smug smile on her face, she commented, "The way I see things, you have two choices: one, train me, and keep your secrets secret; or two, don't train me, and watch your peaceful life crumble around you."
She heard a dark chuckle from behind her, as her companion replied, "You forgot the third choice..."
Spinning around to face the flame-haired man, she asked, "Oh really? What's the third choice?"
She felt her eyes widen in shock as he lunged towards her, his hand wrapping around her throat. Her back erupted into a world of pain as she felt it make rough contact with the metal lockers behind her, and the pain increased as the metal gave way. A sense of panic rising quickly, she lashed out with her legs, struggling to get free, but her panic only increased when her blows did nothing. Another dark chuckle coming from his mouth, Kaen commented, "I kill you, and all knowledge dies with you; believe me when I tell you, Miss Satan, that no jury on this world will convict me."
\-
-Yes they know that you've hurt yourself another time-
-Don't they know that you're full of pain already?-
Fighting off the second wave of... whatever it was, Videl grabbed hold of the Spopovich's arm, before swinging her right leg up and catching him under the chin. As he leaned back from the blow, his grip loosened, which gave her all the chance she needed. Wrenching herself free with a twist, she swung her legs up to catch hold of his neck, using the momentum of her release to swing around him, before she used her momentum, and her powerful legs, to throw him backwards.
Unfortunately, she botched the landing, impacting the ground with her back instead of her hands or feet. By the time she'd gotten to her feet, Spopovich had already charged towards her again, growling all the while.
-Yes they know that you've hurt yourself another time-
-Decadence isn't easy...-
-/
"There's still something you're not telling us," an authoritative female voice declared, "Kaen would not have gone this overboard for that. Now, what else did you do?"
She dropped to the ground, wrapping her arms around herself in preparation for the wrath she knew would soon be coming her way, trying to make herself as small a target as possible, before stuttering out fearfully, "I... Well, I tried to... blackmail him..."
"WHAT?" The voice shrieked, the body attached to it charging towards her; well, it would have, were it not for a second female trying to hold her back, and only just succeeding.
"Blackmail him into doing what?" A male voice asked calmly.
Turning to face the speaker, she replied defensively, "I didn't think it was that bad. I was just trying to get him to train me..."
A war cry rang up from the first voice as the older girl lunged for her, shouting, "Lemme go, I'm gonna kill her!"
\-
-Then you slowly recall all your mind-
Before Videl could recover from the mental assault, Spopovich was upon her, sending her flying over the edge of the ring with a massive soccer kick. Refusing to go out like that, Videl focused on what Gohan had taught her, glowing slightly as she brought her ki out, and coming to rest floating two feet above the grass, to much amazement from the crowd; excluding the two boys in the Junior Division, Videl was the first person they'd seen flying today. Clenching her fists, she spun in the air and flew up above the ring.
-Why, your soul's gone cold, and all hope has run dry-
"Did you see that?" Sharpner demanded, his eyes almost falling out of his head.
In a similar state of shock, Erasa commented slowly, "I... think so."
-Dead inside-
"That a girl!" Gohan cheered, commenting to his father, "I taught her how to do that."
"Fool girl," Kaen growled to himself, "She should've let herself fall."
"What?" Krillin asked, "Why? She's winning."
Kaen just shook his head, "There's no way she can win this fight. Five, ten minutes ago? Maybe. Now? Not a chance."
"He's right," Goku added, his voice in battle-mode, "Look at him. There's no way Spopovich could withstand all of Videl's attacks and still continue to fight."
"Then what's his secret?" Krillin asked.
"I don't know," Goku replied, casting an eye Kaen's way, "But I'm going to find out."
-Never enough to forget that-
Landing calmly of the tiled arena floor, Videl dropped into her stance, waiting for Spopovich to make the first move, and she wasn't disappointed. Jumping back to avoid a haymaker, then again to avoid the follow-up kick, Videl grit her teeth, leaping towards him and spinning in mid-air to slam her foot into the side of his head. Landing, she took a few moments to catch her breath before properly looking at her opponent, whereupon her eyes bugged out of her head.
"What the!" the announcer shouted in near panic; Spopovich's head was on backwards. Raising the microphone again with a shaky hand, he declared, "Spopovich's head is spun completely around!" As Spopovich's body fell backwards, Videl slumped to her knees, defeated. A resigned tone to his voice, the announcer commented, "Well, that's it. Videl has clearly beaten her opponent, but I'm afraid she will be disqualified for using excessive force; those are the rules."
Her head shooting up in surprise, Videl noticed Spopovich's body twitching. Spinning to face him, she watched the man she thought she'd killed climb back to his feet, his head still twisted around. As the announcer cried fearfully, "He's alive!" Videl watched as Spopovich calmly reached up, took his head, and started to turn it the right away around again, before giving up on his neck and lifting his head clear off it, turning it the right way, and setting it back down on his shoulders again as though it were perfectly normal.
Her heart beating in her ears, Videl could only mutter brokenly, "Who... is... this guy?" Climbing back to her feet as he approached her, her gaze never left the head her kick had twisted around, and as such, she paid no attention to the leg he drew back until the last minute, and by then it was too late, the yellow boot - similar to her own, only obviously a larger size, impacted cleanly with her face, and broke her nose.
-You're one of the lonely-
Holding her hands to her face, Videl forced the broken cartilage back into place, ignoring the drops of blood that splattered her large white singlet. As Spopovich charged towards her again, Videl did the only thing she could think of; she took to the skies again. To her horror, however, Spopovich took to the air after her, leaving her with no place left to run, as he ascended higher above the ring than her.
The two locked gazes for a while, Spopovich chuckling darkly all the while, before he pointed a hand in her direction and, with a rising shout, charged and fired a purple energy beam in her direction. Thinking quickly, Videl threw her hands forward, firing off a light blue blast of her own to intercept it, and silently thanking Gohan for drilling her thoroughly on how to use them before teaching her how to fly instead of just teaching her flight first like she'd wanted; he was correct in telling her it was a useful skill, and, while she had wanted to wait for a more dramatic moment to use them for the first time, she figured now was as good a time as any.
Her blast wasn't strong enough to deflect Spopovich's, but it did detonate the purple beam before it could reach her. The concussive force of the explosion sent her careening back down to the arena, but she managed to take control of her descent and land on all four instead of face planting. Climbing back to her feet, as the ever-laughing Spopovich slammed down several metres away, she thought to herself, 'Kaen was right; this guy isn't human. He's a monster!'
-Slowly recall all your mind-
"Unbelievable, a ki beam!" Krillin exclaimed, adding, "It's a good thing this guy's ki beams aren't very strong."
"You're wrong," Vegeta commented, stepping away from his position leaning against the wall. "The rules say he'll lose if he kills her. He was purposely holding back."
His face grim, Goku added, "I don't know how he's doing it, but somehow Spopovich is using powers he's never had before." As the others turned their attention to him, he continued, "It's strange, but the last time he fought in this tournament I'm positive he couldn't fly or throw an energy attack.
"But what does that mean dad?" Gohan asked, suddenly very worried for his would-be girlfriend's safety.
"I don't know," he replied helplessly, "I don't know how he could have changed this much Gohan!"
Keeping his eyes on the fight, one arm around his mate, Kaen mused to himself 'Come on girl, you know you can't win this thing. Throw the fight!'
-If I scare you now-
Gritting her teeth, Videl made up her mind. 'Fuck this! The title's not worth getting killed over.' Faking a charge towards him, she slid under Spopovich's legs and kept going, racing towards the edge of the ring. Before she could reach the edge however, Spopovich suddenly appeared in front of her with a burst of speed almost impossible for a man of his size. Unable to stop her forward momentum, she was powerless to dodge the punch he threw to her midsection, and she wound up wrapped around the basketball-sized fist.
-Don't run from me-
"Right, that's it!" Kat cried, standing up in her seat as she began focusing her energy; Videl had tried to leave the ring and was thwarted, and that was all the signal she needed.
"Neechan, what are you doing?" Lime asked curiously.
Kat just grinned as her visage faded to black. "My job."
-I've been hiding my pain, you see-
As she flew backwards from the force of the blow, Spopovich followed up with an elbow drop, sending the girl crashing to the centre of the ring. Then, kneeling over her, he began laying into her defenceless stomach, causing her to cough up blood as her torso jerked around from the rain of blows.
-Said if I scare you now-
"What a nightmare!" Erasa exclaimed, half covering her face in horror, "Videl doesn't have a chance!"
Clenching his fists and gritting his teeth, Sharpner stated, "I hate to say it, but I think her luck has officially run out!"
-Don't run from me-
"I've got to help her!" Gohan shouted, preparing to go to Videl's aid, before he was stopped by a hand on his shoulder, tracing back to his father.
"No Gohan!" Goku shouted, "If you interfere in the match you'll be disqualified."
"I don't care dad," Gohan shouted back, "I'm not going to stand around and watch him kill Videl!"
"Cellotto, relax." A second hand was placed on his other shoulder following that calm command. Turning to face the speaker, Kaen added, "Trust me when I tell you that Videl's safety is in capable hands." Saying no more, Kaen returned his attention to the fight, and Gohan had no choice but to join him.
-I've been hiding my pain, you see-
Satisfied with the damage he'd inflicted thus far, Spopovich stood up again, raising his leg in preparation of crushing the girl's ribs with a heel drop, when the impossible happened. The way the pair were situated in the arena, the sun was directly in front of him, meaning the girl's shadow rested on the tile between her body, and his legs. As his tree-trunk thick leg came barrelling down towards the girl's chest, her shadow seemed to rise out of the ground, take on solid form, and raise it's hands to block his attack, stopping the descending leg cold.
-Slowly recall all your mind-
-/
She cast her eyes about warily as she walked carefully up the street; it looked like a battalion of tanks armed with flamethrowers had gone through. There were holes of varying sizes in the surrounding buildings, and the street itself, and bodies, and bits of bodies, lay scattered about, many of them burnt, and a few still on fire; the smell of burning flesh was almost overpowering, and she really had to fight back the urge to be sick.
Spotting a blue-and-white clad figure standing calmly amidst the carnage, she declared forcefully, "Alright you, drop whatever weapon you used to kill these people, put your hands in the air, and turn around slowly." When he turned to face her, she was surprised that the reports had been true.
He barked something at her in a different language, one she assumed was his native tongue; she may not have been able to understand it, but she knew it didn't bode well for her. Trying her hardest to talk him down, she felt the bottom drop out of her stomach as he mumbled something else, raising his hand, and forming a red ball on his palm; she'd seen enough, just from the surrounding area alone, to know that the ball was very real, and very dangerous.
Part of her wanted to close her eyes, but a greater part of her was determined to stare Death in the face. Death, it would seem, would not be coming for her today however. Before the red ball could reach her, a familiar figure appeared in front of her, slapping it away like an annoying insect. "Hey!" Kaen barked, "If anyone's killing the girl, it's me!"
\-
-Why, your soul's gone cold-
"What the!" The announcer shouted, for the second time in this fight alone. "If I didn't see it with my own eyes I would never have believed it, but somehow, Videl's shadow has joined the fight, and is protecting Videl herself! Unbelievable!"
-And all hope has run dry-
"What... What the hell is going on here!" Sharpner exclaimed. "Shadows just can't get up and walk around!"
"I don't care what is happening," Erasa stated resolutely, "As long as it's helping Videl."
-Dead inside-
Opening one eye painfully, the semi-conscious Videl watched as her shadow as it seemed to flow, using just one arm to hold Spopovich's leg, while extending the other to deliver one of the most painful attacks throughout history: the Crotch Punch. Following that, her shadow threw his leg away and, it's legs still in the arena floor, began driving him back through a series of extended punches.
No longer laughing, the growling Spopovich began throwing punched of his own at the shadow, only to watch as they passed through it harmlessly. With a sudden, rare idea, Spopovich threw another punch at the shadow, and like the ones before it, his hand passed through the shadow's chest. However, while his hand was behind his new opponent, he splayed his fingers, grinning as he fired another purple energy wave at the fallen Videl.
-Never enough to forget-
-/
She watched, half amazed, half horrified, as the two fighters waged a small-scale war between them. She felt the amazement take over for a moment as the first of them leapt backwards into the air, sailing over a kick, before dropping into a dual kick to his opponent's chest, which sent him skyward bound again. While airborne, he drew his hands back, firing one of those red beams of light at his foe; the horror took over again as she saw the beam disperse harmlessly on a blue field, before the second fighter sent on of those beams of light her way.
The first fighter seemed to burst into flame as he chased the beam, before slamming it into the ground with a double axe-handle manoeuvre. The resulting explosion rocked the whole area, and the erupting concrete sent her flying backwards to impact harshly with the wall behind her, which, while softer than she expected a wall to be, still drop the air from her lungs and consciousness from her mind.
When she came to again, she cast a pained look behind her, seeing it had, in fact, been a plexiglass window that broke her fall. Seeing no trace of the two fighters anywhere, she forced herself to her feet. She was back down to her knees, however, by the impact of one of those fighters before her, Kaen, the momentum of his slide digging a trench through the street, and sending a piece of bitumen on a beeline for her head. Consciousness faded again before her mind could register the pain.
\-
-That you're one of the lonely-
"Oh no!" the announcer shrieked, "Spopovich is again attacking Videl! I don't know if she'll be able to get out of this one..."
The shadow quickly lost solidity, flowing back into the ground, then shot across the arena floor as it strove to outrun the blast. At the last possible second, the shadow dove out of the ground and enveloped Videl, moments before the blast destroyed the area she'd been lying in. When the smoke cleared, all that remained was a shallow hole in the tile.
-Slowly recall all your mind-
"I can't look!" Erasa exclaimed, shielding her face.
Sinking in his seat, Sharpner asked, "Do... Do you think she's..."
"No!" The blonde girl shouted, "I won't believe it! Videl can't be dead!" Dropping down onto her seat, she trailed off, "She can't be..."
-Slowly recall all your mind-
"I... I don't know what to say folks," the announcer stated slowly, "It looks like Videl might be- Wait a minute!" He changed his tune suddenly, as he saw a black form dart out of the smoking hole and 'fly' through the tiled arena floor, heading for the edge. As the shadow reached the edge of the ring it flowed down it, coming down onto the grass, and it was there that it rose out of the ground again, returning to a three dimensional figure, except this time, it was holding Videl in it's arms.
Turning to the announcer, the shadow seemed to wait there for him to comment, so he shouted, "Unbelievable! There you have it folks; Videl has survived the blast thanks to, of all things, her shadow, and she is now outside the ring. As much as it pains me to say this, Spopovich is the winner, and goes through to the next round." This caused a round of boos from the crowd, but, for the most part, they just seemed relieved Videl was alive. Satisfied with this, the shadow nodded, and carried Videl into the fighter's lounge.
-Say, yes they know that-
"Oh thank Kami she's alive!" Erasa exclaimed, breathing a sigh of relief.
Standing up, Sharpner declared, "Come on, we better go see how she's doing." Deciding that was a good idea, the two blondes ran off as fast as they could through the crowd.
-You've hurt yourself another time-
As soon as the pair were out of the public's eye, the shadow melted back into its original form, revealing Kat in all her glory. Before she could even say a word, Gohan dragged a bench over, saying, "Quick, lay her down here."
As soon as Videl was set down, Pi lay her hands across the thrashed girl chest, preparing to heal her. Kaen placed a hand on his mate's right shoulder, and Kat did the same with her left, the two ready to share their energy with her so she wouldn't be tired out for her match later. Speaking calmly, Pi commented, "Alright now Videl, just relax. I'm going to heal you, and this may feel a little strange."
-Don't they know that-
-/
She awoke slowly, feeling safer than ever before in her life. As her senses returned, she heard a female voice comment, "What do you think could've done that? I mean, I never sensed anything wrong, but Kaen was clearly on the losing end of that fight, so whatever it was had to be at least as strong as you."
A male voice replied, "The only thing I can think of is some kind of android, but that leaves us with the question of 'why'." As she started to stir, she heard the second voice ask, "Hey there Videl, how are you feeling?"
As her slowly returning memory connected a face to the voice, she thought to herself, 'Ah, that would explain why I feel so relaxed,' fighting back both a blush and a smile. Sitting up, she replied, "Surprisingly good actually. I remember this piece of road flying at my head, then, nothing..." Looking around the area, and vaguely taking in the beautiful country scenery, she asked, "Where are we, and why don't I hurt any more?"
The female who had spoken before smiled, replying, "We're at my house, and I healed you; it's one of the powers I have."
A concerned tone to his voice, the male asked, "Videl, what happened out there?"
/-
-You're full of pain already?-
"Wait a minute Pi."
"What is it Gohan!" The Saiyan girl snapped, "She's in pain here in case you haven't noticed; I've got to heal her as quickly as possible."
Raising his hands in surrender, he replied, "Take it easy! I was just going to tell you to save your strength; we've got senzu beans." As the trio of time travellers took a step back, Gohan took one of the senzu's out of the bag, sitting on the edge of the bench and cradling the girl's broken form. Raising the bean to her lips, he said, "Videl, I'm going to put the senzu bean into your mouth, and I need you to chew and swallow it. Can you do that?" When she gave a jerky nod, he gently slipped the bean between her lips.
-Yes they know that-
-/
Feeling dazed from all she'd learnt that day, she asked slightly fearfully, "The third wish... I'm not going to remember any of this am I?" When the tall teen across from her shook his head guiltily, she pleaded, "But why? I've been doing good so far haven't I?" She sniffled a little, fighting back tears, as her crush explained his reasons; truth be told, she couldn't dispute them, and that hurt.
On impulse, she decided there was a little more she wanted to know, and now, he would have no reason for not telling her - after all, she wouldn't remember - so she asked, "Well, before you... make my memory go away, can you answer two more questions for me?" The first answer she received was more or less as she expected, and not the most important of the two, so she asked her second question: "What do you really think of me? Where do I stand in your mind?"
He smiled gently at her, wrapping his arms around her, and she felt her heart trying to escape her mouth. Leaning in close, Gohan whispered, "I love you." She felt a brilliant smile coming to her face, but before it could take hold, Gohan leaned in further, covering her lips with his own, and the world faded away, leaving just the two of them. The moment seemed to stretch on into eternity and beyond, but all too soon, even Gohan seemed to fade away like mist in the morning light.
An hour later, she awoke in her bed, with no memory of the day before.
\-
-You've hurt yourself another time-
Gohan waited with baited breath, as he listened to Videl crunching the bean, before letting out a relieved sigh as he heard her swallow. Within seconds, her eyes widened in shock as she sat up quickly, examining and flexing her hands, before she jumped up to stand on the bench, exclaiming, "I'm all better now!"
The Demi-Saiyan teen smiled at the girl's antics, replying, "That you are Videl. You know you had us worried for a while there."
Climbing down from the bench quickly, a little embarrassed about her display, and at her close and, until recent, almost intimate position with Gohan, she murmured, "Sorry..."
"So then girl," Kaen jibbed, "What did we learn today?"
For a moment, Videl felt a surge of panic. 'Oh no, don't tell me he already knows my memory's returned! They'll wish it away again!' After the brief panic was over, her rational mind took control again, feeling safe in the knowledge that there's no way they could know. Instead, she replied, "Uh, that I should always listen to the advice of my peers?"
Grinning bastardly, he patted her on the head like you would a child - or a pet - as he teased, "Good girl." She felt her cheeks heat up as this action caused everyone around her to burst into laughter, and the laughter only increased as, on reaction alone, she buried her face in Gohan's chest to hide from the embarrassment. Mere seconds later, Videl realised what sort of position they were in and tried to jump back like Gohan was electrified, however, Gohan didn't seem to mind quite so much, and so had wrapped an arm around her shoulders, preventing her from doing so. The laughter died down a little as Gohan delivered a few well-placed glares and barked, "Don't condescend my training partner!"
All Saiyans present, and those who knew better, smirked knowingly at the inflection of Gohan's words and resigned themselves to a small chuckles, but left the pair alone.
Feeling mortified, Videl whined to herself, "Oh man! How am I ever going to get through the rest of this tournament now that I re-know Gohan loves me, but can't tell him I love him too! This is going to suck!'
-Decadence isn't easy, is it?-
To be continued...
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Author's notes:
Well well, Videl's got her memory back. This should make things more interesting. Come on, you didn't think I'd allow the memory of her first kiss to be locked away forever did you?
I'm well aware that the lyrics aren't well spaced out, but I liked the lyric-to-plot match-up.
Also, in case it's not obvious, text inside the -/ \- is a memory flash.