fate 21

Videl openly stared at Gohan. < I seem to be doing a lot of that lately, but there are so many things that I have to figure out about him, > Videl thought to herself as she studied Gohan. The object of scrutiny seemed to be oblivious as he rested back in his seat, his eyes closed as he listened to music out of a Discman.

< He looks so relaxed, > Videl thought as his body moved with the gentle movements of the airbus they were in. Their science class that year was geology and they were taking a field trip out to basically the middle of nowhere to study rock formation. Videl was sitting next to Gohan, sitting in the window seat while he sat in the aisle seat. He looked incredibly relaxed, but Videl knew that, with his martial arts training, he could appear to be relaxed while, inside, his mind was anything but. That was just one of the things that Videl found unusual about him. There was so much she knew about him, yet none of it she understood at all.

She knew he was strong, but now how strong, and she didn't understand how he got so strong. She had seen evidence of that his first day of school when he hit that home run where the ball was never found. She knew he didn't have a house in the city, that he commuted all the way from his house in the 439 Mountain Area, but she didn't understand how he did it. She knew he didn't have a house in the city; in all the time she had known Gohan, never once had she seen this supposed house in the city and he had never invited her to it; he had always invited her to the house where his family lived.

And, perhaps the most confounding and unusual of them, she knew he was the same guy who killed the two men who killed Chi-Chi and Bulma a couple of months ago; he had somehow managed to change his hair golden and use tricks to kill those two men. It had only taken her a couple of days to piece the clues together. The other blond man she knew to be Vegeta and she knew that because of his reaction when Bulma came back to life.

Videl didn't find Bulma to be the type of woman who would cheat on her husband, so she figured that the blond man who was kissing her when she first came back to life was Vegeta, which meant that the other one was Gohan. The two looked very similar, Gohan and the younger blond guy, and Videl just figured they were the same person. But, she had no clue how he did it. She couldn't even begin to understand what was going on.

She vaguely remembered the man in brown robes saying something about it, but she couldn't remember exactly what; it's like her memories of what he said were erased from her mind, leaving her with a blank. She remembered everything about what happened that day in perfect detail, but not a word of what that man said. She knew it was something about Gohan and who he was.

But, regardless of that man, Videl had convinced herself that Gohan had used tricks to do what he did to those two men...at least that's what her mind told her. For years, she had been told that stuff like that was just tricks and nothing more, but something else was telling her differently.

< I know that the bright lights that killed the two men weren't tricks. I could feel the heat and the scorching power. It's like my skin was starting to sizzle. But...how could that be? > Videl thought, still scrutinizing Gohan carefully. She wanted to ask him, but didn't want to risk being wrong. Even though she held back on questioning him, the burning need inside of her to do so was almost overwhelming. But, she was going to wait until she had more solid proof until she pressed Gohan for explanations.

Gohan knew she was staring at him and he was becoming increasingly nervous. He knew she was starting to piece things together. She was a smart woman and it didn't take her a very long time to figure things out.

< Quite frankly, I'm surprised she hasn't already asked me about some of the things I know she wants to ask me. I just wish she wouldn't ever ask me, but that's too much to ask for, > Gohan thought. Gohan knew that it wasn't long until she knew about what he was. It was the risk he was running, becoming so close to her, but, while he didn't necessarily want her to know about his alien heritage, he wanted to be closer to her.

He was finding it increasingly hard to control himself around her. There had been countless occasions where he had come dangerously close to just grabbing her and kissing the living daylights out of her. And it was only getting more difficult as his attraction for her grew stronger. He didn't know what was happening to him, but he found himself thinking of her all the time.

< I'm in love with her, yes, but this feeling...is it lust? No, but that's part of it. It's more than love that I'm feeling, but what is it? > Gohan wondered mentally, his mind agonizing over it while his face still showed the signs of outward calm. Suddenly, the airbus stopped and many students sighed with relief. Gohan opened his eyes and took off his headphones, placing his Discman in his bag, which he left underneath the seat as he and Videl got up.

"So," Videl said as they walked off of the bus, "You looked very relaxed on the ride over here. It almost looked like you slept for the entire 4-hour drive." Gohan smiled.

"Well, I wasn't as relaxed as you thought. I was doing a lot of thinking," Gohan said as they stepped off of the bus and out into the huge open space.

"Ok, fine, don't tell me," Videl said as she turned around, looking at the scenery. It's wide expanse made her feel so small and so insignificant. Rock mounds littered the landscape, looking like someone had set off small explosions everywhere at once.

< It must have taken years for all of this to form. No wonder Sensei picked this spot, > Videl thought. Gohan, too, was thinking about the landscape, but was thinking much different thoughts than Videl.

< I recognize this place. This is the place where we fought Androids #19 and #20. That was a long time ago, wasn't it? 7 years ago, > Gohan thought, his eyes taking in the landscape.

< Sheesh, we really made a mess of this place, didn't we? There are pieces of rock everywhere from the fight. I hope there aren't any pieces of Android #19 left. I don't know how well that would go over if they were ever found... > Gohan's thoughts trailed off as the geology sensei led them through the valley, talking about rock formation and specific rock types. Gohan kept an eye out for Videl, always looking at her through the corner of his eye, making sure she was all right.

He had become her unofficial and unnoticed bodyguard ever since he had that conversation with Vegeta about the sacrifice that the Cresilians were looking for. Videl was always guarded by someone, even if she didn't know it. Gohan had gotten the cooperation of everybody. Yamcha, Tien, Krillin, Piccolo, Vegeta, and Gohan all took turns guarding her during the night. Gohan guarded her during school and the other 5 divided up the time between themselves for when Videl wasn't at school or wasn't hanging out with Gohan, which was most of the time.

Gohan was all decked out in dark colors. He was wearing his navy blue gi and had a black cape over it...just in case he got cold in the middle of the night, though he supposed that would never happen seeing how as it was the beginning of June, the beginning of summer. But, it never hurt to be prepared.

"Ok, I think I'm ready to go," Gohan murmured to himself as he studied himself in the full-length mirror in his bedroom. He really didn't want to go; he liked getting his sleep. But, he knew that he had to do it. The protection of his best friend was more important than a loss of a night of sleep. Giving himself a brisk nod, his face settled into a determined look, Gohan walked out of his room and towards the front door. His hand had just settled on the doorknob when he heard his mother's voice call out from the living room.

"And where do you think you're going, young man?" Chi-Chi asked, her resonate voice demanding and angry. Gohan winced; he had completely forgotten to tell his mother what was going on with Videl. With a sigh, Gohan turned around, his shoulders slumped, and walked back further into the house, taking a slight turn into the living room. He found that Bulma, who had been over there for dinner while ago, was still there chatting with his mother while he was trying to leave. He had to face both of their questioning glares as he entered the room.

"Why are you going over to Videl's house at 11:00 at night?" Chi-Chi asked, a questioning and suspicious tone in her voice. Gohan managed to spill out the entire story in only a few breaths. Chi-Chi gasped and Bulma looked visibly shaken.

"Oh my!" Chi-Chi exclaimed, "What are you waiting for? You have to go protect Videl! You have to protect my future daughter-in-law!" Gohan blushed to the roots of his hair.

"Gohan, are you really that dense?" At Gohan's innocent look, Bulma sighed. "I guess you are. Look, it's obvious to everyone that you and Videl hold a strong attraction for one another. Even Vegeta picked up on it when he first met Videl and he's one of the most oblivious people I know. I'd have to agree with Vegeta; she'd make a good mate for you. I think she's the one you should bond with." Gohan's face turned into a confused look.

"Bond? What are you talking about? What is it? Is it a bad thing?" Gohan asked. Bulma and Chi-Chi looked at each other. It was hard to explain, though it wasn't bad. Both Chi-Chi and Bulma had bonded with their husbands; Vegeta knew what he was doing and Goku had done it on instinct, not knowing Saiya-jin habits and behaviors.

"Gohan, a bond is a deep connection between two people who love each other very much. Once one bonds with someone, if they are meant to be together, the mark they give each other will last for life. If not, it will disappear within a couple of hours. Both your mother and I are bonded to our husbands," Bulma said, "And this is the mark." Bulma pulled away the left collar of her shirt to reveal a clean set of teeth marks; Chi-Chi did the same, the scar from the teeth marks standing out on her pale skin.

"Yeah," Bulma said, "Bond mates can even communicate telepathically with each other; and there's nothing you can hide from your mate. You see everything once your first bond with them. Their memories become your memories and theirs become yours. You become almost one being."

"And bond mates hate to be separated," Chi-Chi said, her voice full of sorrow, "It's like your other half is missing." Gohan looked at his mother sympathetically.

"Well, I'm a strong woman, Gohan," Chi-Chi said, her mentioned strength resonating throughout her voice, "I know your dad will come back to me someday, I just know it."

< It also helps that he is allowed by the Grand Kai to see me once a month, > Chi-Chi thought, thinking about her visits with Goku, a single night on Earth that lasted several days to Chi-Chi and Goku. None of her children knew and she had no intention of telling them; that time hers and Goku's only and she wanted to keep it her secret.

"Oh," Gohan said, knowing that there was something that his mom wasn't telling him, but no amount of pushing and pleading would be able to get it out of her; once Chi-Chi had it in her mind that there was something that she didn't want other people to know, not one word of it got past her lips, unless it was being told to her husband, who could get her to spill anything. Gohan cleared his throat and looked at his mother and Bulma.

"So, I take it that this bond thing is incredibly serious and intense, am I right?" Both women nodded and Gohan looked like he was considering their words heavily.

"And, I take it that it's only a Saiya-jin thing as well, am I right? I mean, I haven't heard of it on this planet at all. If it was a common occurrence, I'm sure I would have learned about it by now."

"Yes, we wouldn't want you to get there and find that Videl is gone," Chi-Chi followed up. The thought made Gohan's blood run cold and sent shivers up his spine. He suddenly had the need to get out of the house right then.

"Well, I think you two are right. I better get going. See you later, Bulma. See you tomorrow, mom," Gohan said, picking up his bag that had not only his school stuff, but his clothes for the next day as well.

"Bye sweetie, good luck and be careful," Chi-Chi called out after her son as he left the house through the front door, immediately taking off of the ground and into the night.

Gohan smiled as the geology sensei led them through the rocky area, most of the students' attention focused on the informal lecture. After about an hour of walking through the rock-filled landscape, the sensei gave each of the 40 students an assignment to last them for the next couple of hours where, upon completion, they would all gather again and discuss the results.

"Come on," Videl said, "Let's go." Videl grabbed the sleeve of Gohan's shirt and dragged him off to begin the assignment without even checking to see if working together was ok with Gohan, who didn't mind at all; Videl knew that it was no problem and proceeded to drag him off to start the assignment.

"I love how you know that I'm automatically going to work with you, Videl," Gohan said, noticing that the moment the words left his mouth, Videl let go.

"Oh, Gohan, I'm sorry. I didn't even ask you if you wanted to work with me," Videl said. Gohan shook his head in dismissal of the apology.

"Let's just get to work, all right?" Videl nodded and the two opened up the packets that contained their assignment, which was to collect 5 different rock samples and analyze them using the criterion supplied in the packet.

Gohan and Videl had only been working for about 15 minutes when a loud scream echoed throughout the area. Looking at each other with alarm, Gohan and Videl abandoned their schoolwork on the ground and took off in the direction of the scream, knowing that the scream meant trouble. There was a small crowd gathered by the time the two arrived and both of them pushed their way to the front of the crowd to see Eraser huddled, terrified on the ground, with Sharpener sitting next to her, his arms draped comfortingly over her shoulders.

Eraser was staring at an object on the ground, an object that rested next to a large crater in the ground, her terror having diminished none. Gohan and Videl looked at what the object was. Videl gasped and reeled with horror, as the rest of the group had done, while Gohan only sighed in annoyance. He didn't like what Eraser had found and wished that Vegeta had fully finished the job 7 years ago.

Sitting in the middle of the crowd was Android #19's head, its eyes blinking in mute curiosity as it tried its best to look around the group. Android #19 gasped as it saw Gohan, sensing his high power level, and its eyes went wide; Android #19 had obviously somewhat survived the battle against Vegeta and remembered Gohan. Gohan smirked; it filled him with a sense of pride that he was able to establish a feeling of fear in a being that inspired fear in others.

< That's just my Saiya-jin nature coming forth, > Gohan thought, trying to dismiss the feeling of pride, but being unable to shake it off. Calmly and collectively, Gohan walked over to Android #19's head and picked it up off the ground.

"So," he whispered so that only he and the android could hear, "I see that parts of you have managed to survive all these years. I'm impressed."

"This thing can't hurt me. It's completely harmless. It's only a head; what damage could it possibly do to me?" Gohan said. He focused his attentions back on Android #19, a smirk on his face as he opened up the back of his head.

"No! No! You can't!" the android exclaimed, feeling Gohan's hand probing the inside of his head, pulling apart wires and circuit boards.

"I can," Gohan said, his fingers closing around the last wire, "And I will." Gohan pulled the last of the wires loose, noticing how Android #19's eyes stopped blinking and transformed into a dead stare. Gohan tossed the now lifeless head aside, happy that another one of the evil androids was, once and for all, destroyed. His classmates and his geology sensei looked at him speechless.

"Easy," Gohan said, "I saw the wires and stuff sticking out of the bottom of its head and knew it was a robot of some kind. I figured that the only way to kill it would be to pull the wires inside of its head."

"I thought I said that already. It was just a head; what harm could it have done. And, besides, if it had been able to cause harm, it was chance I was willing to take in order to shut it off. That thing kind of crept me out and I wanted it off as soon as possible," Gohan said, feeling a shiver run down his spine and the memory of Android #19's voice; just the memory of its voice was enough to creep him out. Gohan shook off the feeling and turned back to the rest of his class.

"Well," Gohan said, "How about we get back to our assignment, guys?" The rest of the group nodded and Gohan was relieved that they would no longer be paying attention to him. The class started to disperse, moving back to wherever they had been working previously.

Gohan took one last look at Android #19's head, relief that it was gone playing out on his face. He, too, started moving back to where he dropped his stuff, but was stopped when he felt a high energy source approaching the area. He froze, a look of worry and concentration on his face; there was something about the ki that he felt that he didn't like, something evil...

Suddenly, a large ki blast was fired, hitting the path that the students were taking, preventing them from moving anywhere. Gohan looked up into the air to see a beautiful woman with jet black hair and deep violet eyes floating several yards above them, a satisfied smirk on her face; she had obviously found something that she was looking for.

"Up there! She did whatever that was!" The entire class, including the teacher, looked up at sky to see the source of the ki blast. The woman allowed her body to lower closer to the ground until she was only a few feet above the group. Gohan knew what she was there for and it was his job to make sure that she wouldn't succeed.

"I'd say by the action you just took that you know what I want. It's useless to stop me, boy, so you might as well just hand the sacrifice over to me." Gohan felt his anger rise quickly.

< If she thinks I'm going to let of Videl go that easily, she's got another thing coming, > Gohan thought, his fists clenching at his sides.

"Look, I don't know what you're talking about, but you obviously have the wrong people. I suggest that you just leave us alone," Gohan said, hoping that she would believe his lie. The woman rose an eyebrow in amusement.

"Oh really?" she drawled, focusing her concentration on Gohan. She whispered several words in a language that he didn't understand and, suddenly, Gohan felt something inside of him, like there was another presence in his mind, sifting through his whole being. Then, as suddenly as it appeared, the presence disappeared, leaving Gohan feeling violated and useless. The woman's face took on a surprised look.

"Well, looks like you were right. You are anything but a boy. You're much more than that." In Gohan's shocked and immobile state, he had no defense for the motion the woman took. She grabbed his collar and lifted him up into the air, his face inches from hers. It was then that he realized that she was several inches taller than he was, at least.

"So, you're a Saiya-jin, aren't you?" she asked, a sneer on her face, "Well, don't think that you can stop me or my Queen. Your powers are nothing compared to what the Queen has at her disposal. You might as well give up for you have no hopes in stopping her."

Gohan looked down at the ground, which was now several yards below him. From where he was, he could see the worried looks on the faces of his classmates. He wanted to do something against this woman, but he didn't want to reveal to his classmates that he wasn't fully human. He looked back at the woman, her beautiful face still marred by the sneer that deformed her lips.

"You'll never win. I'll make sure that you do. You know the legend of the Super Saiya-jin, don't you?" Gohan watched as she nodded. "Well, I have achieved that state...as well as the prince of the Saiya-jins, Vegeta. If you mess with Videl, then you'll have the two of us to contend with and I don't think you want that." Her face took on an angry look.

"You're bluffing! Super Saiya-jins don't exist. They're merely a legend and nothing more; just some fairy tale created to make the Saiya-jins feel more powerful!"

"But, don't legends have some truth in them? After all, if it never happened, then how could the story survive to become legend? Don't doubt me on this. I am a Super Saiya-jin and I will do everything in my power to stop you," Gohan said, his tone fierce and cruel. In a move of desperation, Gohan closed his eyes, drawing all of his power up and forming it in his mind, and sent it into the woman's mind, forcing it to explode inside of her mind, destroying her mentally and, shortly, physically. Gohan, now exhausted from using the mental attack, wondered wearily how he had known to do it; it was a move that he had never seen before or heard of in his entire life.

< Maybe it's all that psychic training that I've been doing with Piccolo...yeah, that has to be it, > Gohan thought tiredly, not noticing that the woman who was holding him was about to explode, her power, now that she had no way to control it, reeking havoc inside of her body, acting like a time bomb.

With a bright flash of light, she exploded, hitting Gohan as well with the force of the explosion. The intensity of the explosion sent Gohan hurling towards the ground at an incredible pace. His body, having no defense against the explosion due to his mental exhaustion, soon impacted with the rocky surface, the force of his fast-moving body creating a deep crater in the ground. Gohan was vaguely aware of the whole ordeal. All he knew was that he was exhausted and that he hurt horribly all over. His eyes half-slits on his face, he could only stare at the blue sky up above, lacking the mental strength to move.

Videl, who had been watching the whole thing, was aghast at the events, shock freezing her limbs. She numbly watched as Gohan was thrown to the ground as the woman exploded, wondering what could have caused her to do so. The moment Gohan impacted with the ground, Videl unfroze, realizing now that Gohan could be at least seriously hurt, if not dead. With a deep breath, she called out his name.

"GOHAN!" she exclaimed, rushing over to the crater, sliding down it until she reached the bottom, where Gohan was lying, motionless. Kneeling beside him, she scanned his body quickly before looking at his face. She felt relief flood her being as she noticed that he was still breathing.

"Gohan, can you hear me? Are you ok?" Videl asked, even though she knew the answer to the second question. Only one look at his body told her that he was bleeding out of many cuts that covered his skin and she didn't even want to think of the internal damage; it was a miracle in and of itself that he survived at all. It took all of Gohan's energy and effort to concentrate on Videl's face.

"Please," Gohan forced out, "Take me...to Bulma. I can't..." Gohan couldn't even finish his sentence before, weary from the attack he just used, he passed out, his body falling unconscious. Videl gasped.

"Gohan?" she asked, her voice a whisper, shaking him slightly, "Gohan?" With tears in her eyes, she turned around and looked at her other classmates, who were all standing at the edge of the crater, looking down at the two.

"Quickly!" she shouted, "We have to get him to the hospital. We don't know how much time he has!" Videl moved to pick up Gohan's shoulders as Lapez and Sharpener both came down to help move Gohan back to the airbus. As the three of them moved him, Videl thought about Gohan's words before he passed out.

< I wonder why he wanted us to take him to Bulma's? She can't heal him; she's not a doctor. He'll be better off going to the hospital, > Videl thought worriedly, looking down at Gohan.